Trains, Texas, & Stampedes: Day Two

Yeehaw! Day Two in Texas!

This really was a great day!  Everyone woke up nice and refreshed - especially Andrew after 13 hours of sleep! - and ready to see what adventures would unfold.

We packed Mike's backpack for the day and walked across the street to partake in one of the great American establishments - IHOP.  Andrew was certainly feeling the Halloween spirit!

After our yummy breakfast, we walked through a beautiful park to make our way to the zoo which was about 1 1/2 miles walking distance away from where we were staying because we had to cross a bridge over some water that separated our hotel from the park and zoo.

The Ft. Worth Zoo was a wonderful place.  The recreations of the animals' habitats were gorgeous!  We had the opportunity to see some very playful monkeys.

We caught a feeding of the penguins - which by the way, only 5 of the 17 species of penguins live in the cold!  Never knew that little fact.  I guess all the penguins that live in the cold get all the good movie deals!

We enjoyed watching the elephants (they have so many!), giraffes, hippos, zebras, and rhinos!  And really enjoyed walking into the turn of the century Texas in the Texas Wild! exhibit that featured animals of Texas right along with architecture and great BBQ!

But the most impressive exhibit by far that I have ever experienced at a zoo was the Museum of Living Art.  This Herpetarium was an impressive facility all on its own, but the reptiles, amphibians and other creatures that live there were out of this world.  Each habitat was very well lit and at just the right heights for viewing, which means it was extremely kid-friendly.  We were able to be nose to nose with a Komodo dragon, have our skin crawl while watching an enormous python and cobra, and be absolutely entranced with the swimming 15 ft. alligators.

We also took in the Halloween festivities at their "Boo at the Zoo" event, which cost $3 to participate.  It was very nicely laid out with 5 tickets for candy stations, one ticket for a pumpkin decorating station, many unique carnival type games, and a main stage where they had two "acts" running every 30 minutes.  We were able to catch both of them.  One was a "meet the animals" type of show (very fun!) and the other was just a fun costume parading and boogie-ing time.

After helping close the gates of the zoo, we started our journey back to the hotel.  This time going a way that Mike thought would be a little faster.  He had spotted a bridge on the opposite side of the park and we made our way to it.  Well, it was not exactly a bridge for humans to cross over - there was a recreational-sized train that chugged through the park and this bridge just happened to be one of the bridges for it to cross over the water.

Mike carried Andrew across.  And I'm not going to lie to you, this was NOT a good idea.  This picture looks like the railroad ties were close together - oh no!  I am glad that there was water underneath us to break our 20 foot fall...  And my heart just about beat right out of my chest when I heard a little whistle blow and looked up to see the train coming out of the tree line on the opposite side!  If we had just been a minute later...but it sure added to the adventure of the day...riiiiiight!

We successfully made the rest of the trek back to the hotel to relax a little bit before walking over to Chili's for dinner (Andrew's favorite restaurant).

We ended the day by walking over to an old car show.  Andrew was on cloud nine!  Especially when he was invited to sit in the "most awesomest, fastest car there"!

How could Day Three get any better than this!?

Trains, Texas, & Stampedes: Day One

For Andrew's 5th birthday, Mike and I put together a weekend of fun! 

Andrew has been asking over and over again when he will be able to ride a train or an airplane.  So we bought tickets to ride the train (Heartland Flyer) from downtown Oklahoma City, OK to downtown Ft. Worth, TX. 

Andrew was very excited, but a little upset that his brother was not going too... I put his anxiety to rest when I told him that Ryan wouldn't make it on a four hour train ride.  Only five year-olds were big enough to ride that far on the train!  He repeated this new found realization to several folks during the two weeks before our departure.

Boy! was it an adventure! 

It began with my parents making the trip to pick up Ryan on Thursday night.  I took Ryan to the doctor that afternoon and, sure enough, he had an ear infection and a little rattle in his lungs. (We have fought ear infections constantly and he always has a constant drip from his poor little nose.  Last December we had tubes put in his ears, and of course after one month one had already fallen out!)

For three hours I was in search of a medication that was prescribed before I gave up and called Mike to tag him  for back-up searching so I could tap out to do some last minute laundry and packing (nothing like it!).  Wouldn't you know it would be his good fortune that the first pharmacy he called would have it!  Seriously.  (Might I stress I went to three pharmacies and spent three hours searching...)  Ryan was packed up and ready to spend the weekend with Grandma and Papa.  He was ready to go too!

The next morning, Mike, Andrew and I head to the train station.  It is amazing to see some of the history and beautiful architecture that you miss when you live so close to something that you don't take the time to really slow down and look around.  The train station was amazing!

I had purchased our tickets several weeks ahead of time, and it was a good thing that I did.  The train was completely full and they were turning people away!  I had no idea this form of travel was so popular.  And now I know why!  Everyone is SO friendly when you ride on a train together.  I don't know if it is the feeling of being transported back into time or the laid back atmosphere that I don't feel you find on an airplane.  We had some great conversations with passengers and the conductors alike (as Andrew loving called everyone with the official uniform on).  Just some good ole' fashioned camaraderie on the rails.

I packed Andrew's tag reader and books, games, mini-puzzles (from Dollar Tree or the dollar bins at Target), and snacks.  There was a dining car - the lady in charge of it was a hoot!  She would come over the intercom every once in a while and tell all the kids to keep their eyes peeled for hawks and dinosaurs!  I have never seen Andrew so focused staring out the windows!  I will have to say that I was a tab bit disappointed with the dining car.  I had this grand image of the dining car from the movie White Christmas in mind.  A long bar and cozy booth-style seating... it was neither of those, but still very cool and we didn't frequent it on a couple of occasions.

The chairs and personal space that you have on the train is unbelievable.  Mike kept commenting on the glorious chairs. They really were impress, along with ALL the room you have.

Once we made it to Ft. Worth, we set out to find something to eat and to figure out our transportation needs to travel to our hotel.  We ate some yummy sandwiches in a small cafe downtown on 9th and Houston (I can't remember the name, but their turkey club was to die for!) 

It was just a little noisy!

After about 30 minutes of looking at maps on our phones and a particular bus map, we decided to head back to the train station that also served as the main bus terminal too.  Once we reached the train station again, it was not too hard to figure out we needed to catch Route 7 to find our hotel.  The hotel we stayed out was a little over 3 miles away from downtown Ft. Worth.  It was less than a 10 minute drive on the bus.  Perfect!

There is something very liberating about not having a car and only having your legs and others to rely on!  It was also a great bonding experience for all of us. 

Our hotel was right across the street from a great shopping center with stores like Williams-Sonoma, The Container Store, and, my all time favorite!, Anthropologie.  Let's just say I got some Christmas shopping out of the way.  And since we were riding the train without luggage restrictions, I could shop away... oh wait! Mike was with me...scratch that!

We ended up putting Andrew to bed just after 7pm.  Poor guy was tuckered out from staying up a little later than normal the two nights before and then waking up on Friday morning at 5:30am to get ready for the train ride.  He was snoring and talking in his sleep by 7:23!  Mike went out for a little stroll and I was asleep by 8:57!

The day was a perfect start to the weekend that followed!

The 5 Marvelous Wonder Years

Today is your day, Andrew!

The past five years have sprinted by in a blur. 

You are just as charming and interested in life as you were when you were an itty-bitty 9 lbs 1 oz ball of love when God blessed us with you that wonderful night five years ago.  You were born now - 9:50pm - on that cold October night. 

Everyone was so excited to meet you.  The nursing staff had to continually scold those family members and friends who were waiting by the door outside the hospital room.  We were all SO excited to welcome you into our loving family.

You were such a precious baby boy.  You were just a perfect little guy.  You hardly cried unless you were hungry - and you had a healthy appetite from the very beginning! 

At 9 weeks old you were sleeping through the night from 7:30pm to 7:30am.  You loved to eat and sleep so much that we joked about you being like Garfield (Grandpa McKinley's favorite cartoon character)!  You have always had a very predictable schedule.  And you still get a little out of sorts if you don't keep to the routine.

You also played the role of Jesus at just a ripe age of 2 months.  And you did beautifully!  Right before the finale of the choir's Christmas cantata, I handed you to Joseph who in turn handed me the baby doll they had been using.  He turned and walked back to the middle of the stage and at just the right moment raised you up in the air (Simba from Lion King style).  You kicked and looked out towards the audience and everyone gasped with surprise!  You did the exact same cue a second time too!

You have always kept us smiling and on our toes.  You have an easy, go-lucky sense of humor.  And, boy, do you love to laugh.  That's okay with me, because I love to laugh too!  The picture of you in the golf bag made headlines at the Ping National Sales Meeting.  Your picture was shown after the President said that they had been having weird messages left about the items they were shipping with their golf bags.  After beginning what everyone thought was some sort of reprimand, he throws this picture up on the big screen for hundreds of reps to see.  What a celebrity! 

You began walking at 10 months-old, and have never stopped running since!  You were also eating whole apples with a full set of teeth by then too!

At two you were completely in love with finding out about the world around you, and you didn't have any reservations to wonder (or race) off to explore.  I would have to chase after you because you never would look back.  You just knew I would be following you (in a dead sprint!).

As a three year-old you were just as curious, and your independence to do things on your own was more than noticed!  You loved the idea of becoming a big brother - and were determined you were going to have a sister.  Your vocabulary was wonderful for your age.  You were communicating clearly without any trouble in understanding what you were saying.  You have always aligned yourself with an older group of children.

At four years-old, you were full of adventure, excitement and love for your family.  You were still figuring out your role as an older brother, but doing so beautifully.  You truly love the world around you and the people God has placed in it for you to meet and know.

I can't wait to see what life has in store for you this year!  You bring so much to Mommy, Daddy and Ryan's life every day.  Thank you for all the belly laughs, giggles, endless curiosity, gentle kindness and an enduring love for our Heavenly Father and Jesus.  Chocolate Milk Cheers to Five, Andrew!  We love you!!!

5 is a Big Number to Celebrate!

I think having a five year-old running around the house is harder to think about than turning 30... or 40 (okay, I'm 11 years away from 40, so maybe things will change as we get closer!).

Andrew has been looking forward to turning 5 since he was 3 years-old.  It is a B.I.G. deal!  It has meant so much to him for so long, I felt like I had to blow his birthday celebration out of the water while keeping that very family feel.  I never want to loose that family aspect of birthdays which is why it will be a rare occasion that we will have a birthday party anywhere other than our home.

We had his birthday celebration yesterday and it was great!  I am reminded just how blessed we are to have all of the wonderful family and friends God has given us to make this life wonderful. 

We had a train-themed party and I used a lot of great ideas that I found on pinterest.com.  Andrew had a great time helping me make a train track along our sidewalk up to the door on the front porch.  We had everyone wear their costumes, so we also put out some Halloween decorations and games.

Andrew and I had a lot of fun putting together the food for the party.  (With the help of super Aunts, Melissa and Megan!)

I made dirt cups (chocolate pudding and crushed Oreo cookies and gummy worms) for the construction area of the train track. I put together a finger food train of ranch dip (tender), big pretzels (log car), carrots and celery sticks (produce car), and black olives (coal car).  I made pb&j sandwiches and corn dog nuggets.  With the corn dog nuggets, we placed two together using a toothpick and then placed two cheese squares on the top for a smokestack.  They turned out really cute.  We had cupcakes that kept growing and growing in the oven!  I used self standing cupcake liners, so no muffin pan needed.  Because of this, they kept expanding out larger and larger.  But they sure were good with a nice cream filling!

However, the biggest hit was the yummy poppy seed sandwiches that I made the day before and baked just before the party started.  They were absolutely wonderful!  Here's the link: Delicious-baked-sandwiches.  The recipe is below.

It was a wonderful evening from the Great Pumpkin Pop (orange balloons I filled with colorful rings, plastic insects, and train tattoos) to Andrew's celebrity wave and sincere thanks to everyone as he opened their gifts to his clear excitement about every aspect of his party.

Can't wait to see where he chooses to eat dinner on his birthday day, Wednesday!  I am very curious since his all-time favorite choice has always been Chili's!

Delicious Baked Sandwiches

Sandwiches:
1 pkg. brown and serve rolls (I used the Hawaiian brand - yum!)
1/2 to 3/4 lb. deli meat
sliced cheese - enough to fit on each sandwich

Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. mustard
1. T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. poppy seeds

Directions:
-Put sandwiches together and place in 9X13 baking dish
-Boil sauce until bubbly and pour over sandwiches.
-You can bake immediately or refrigerate for several hours or overnight. (I let sit overnight.)
-Bake in 350F preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until tops are brown and crispy.
-Enjoy!

The Theatre, The Theatre

Oh, how I love the theatre!  Most everyone who knows me knows that I am dramatic (shock, I know!) and that I love to laugh.  Andrew has this bone in his body too.  Ryan is very funny natrually, but I don't see the over-dramatic side in him as much... at least not yet!

We do all love to laugh.  And why not, it just feels good!

However, this does tend to get me in trouble.  Especially with Mike when we are working on discplining Andrew for something.  But, golly, those facial expressions are just too funny!  I just can't surpress the bubbling of laughter that seeps out.  Man, do I try...but it is something that I have I very hard time doing.  Some people may say that this is immature, some might suggest that it is an attempt to avoid confrontation - and I would say absolutely, if it is that easy to avoid unpleasant confrontation then I am all about giggling - and some might say I need to show a stronger hand.

I say let the serious stuff be serious, absolutely.  Andrew came close to being hit by a car in a restuarant parking lot because he ran from my dad's side.  That was not a laughing matter.  In fact he had some serious sobs in the parking lot because he knew how upset I was.

But when it comes down to getting upset about a glass of spilled milk or even a case of telling your child to go brush his teeth and finish getting ready for bed for the hundredth time, I don't find it necessary to be so hard nosed.

Laughter is good for the soul...and proven to help your body heal faster from things like major surgery (remember Patch Adams?).  I don't think that we as a society, or busy moms and dads, take the time to defuse a situation, that does not have to be so serious, with laughter.

Santa Beards: Just a little bit of the endorsed silliness that goes on at our house.

LOL.  LOL.  LOL.  Doesn't it feel good to share in a good, geniune laugh with those you surround yourself with?

The Mommy Fears

Fears.  Everyone has them.  I especially do.  I am a huge whimp when it comes to scary movies, someone sneaking up on me while washing my face, or being home alone.  I watched the Exorcist when I was 16 not knowing what it was and slept with my parents for a week afterwards.  My mom finally forced me into my own bed saying we needed to find something to comfort me, which turned out to be Psalm 121.  I would read it every night before going to bed and then for almost a year following I would leave my Bible open to that passage throughout the night.

And yes, I am the girl you see streaking through the parking lot (with clothes on!) when its dark outside looking in every direction until my neck hurts, opening the car door and jumping (literally) into the driver's seat while simutaneously locking the car and checking the back seats for unwanted guests.  Whew!

All of this to say that these fears, even though you might argue are a little crazy, are nothing compared to the irrational - and I mean, IRRATIONAL - fears I had after giving birth to Andrew.

Our first big outing after he was born was to a semi-pro hockey game in a huge stadium.  The entire time we were walking up, up and up to our seats in the nose bleed section I was formulating my plan on how I was going to get this precious little baby out of the massive building if we had an earthquake...in Midwest America.  It took me 10 minutes to calm these pounding thoughts in my head before I could relax and watch the game... only to have those thoughts resurface by thinking that we DID live on one of the largest fault lines in the United States (at least that is what I thought I remembered from geography) and what was keeping the plates from shifting now!?!

Throughout Andrew's little life, and now including Ryan into these worries and fears, I have realized that they all center around death and dying.  Which has had me constantly saying prayers like, "Oh please God, do not take them away from me! I will have to be locked up in a nuthouse if you take them from me." or "Please God, let us all live nice, long healthy lives so that we can share in the milestones of life together.  I want them to know me and Mike." or "If you have to take one of us, dear Lord, please just go ahead and take us all together."

I know you as a parent have had these similiar thoughts too.

Thankfully, a very dear friend shared the book "Heaven is for Real" with me in March of this year.  Her mother had read it, and know has made her journey to bask in the presence of the granduer of Heaven, and passed it on to Andrea who in turn recommended it to me.

It is the most beautiful and peace-filled story I have every read in my life.  It has truly changed my life.

The story is about a little boy named Colton who dies and goes to Heaven for 3 minutes.  It is an extremely powerful story that unfolded over the years following Colton's devasting event at the age of 3.

If you haven't read it, you need to.  If you are questioning your faith, get a copy and read it now. 

Of course I still have fears after reading the book, but nothing like I was experiencing.  Colton's time in and his description of Heaven has made my fear of dying minimum to non-existent.  Don't get me wrong, I am not going to go out and tempt fate or turn into Evil Knievel.  But I am anxious to get there and I yearn to see Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit in all their glory.  I am looking forward to singing in the Heavenly chorus.

I believe that God is still performing miracles all around us every single second of every single day.  I thank Him for miracles like Colton's story and its truth as well as Don Piper's story in "90 Minutes in Heaven." 

"I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth."  Psalm 121:1-2

Hansen Sunday Comics

One of Andrew's favorite books is "Guess How Much I Love You" by Sam McBratney. The sweet story shares the love that a small rabbit and his (or her) parent has for each other, each trying to show how much he loves the other more than the last description.  It ends with the small rabbit telling his parent, "I love you right up to the moon."  Followed by his parent's response, " I love you right up to the moon - and back."

Lately, Andrew has been asking, "Mom, how much do you love me?"  "Too much" or "So, so much" is always my response.  "Do you love me THIS much?" Andrew will ask with his arms spread out as far as they will go.  "Oh no, much, much more than that.  You can't guess how much I love you."  And the guessing goes back and forth like this for awhile.

Well, two nights ago we were finishing up dinner at the table and Andrew starts in again.  "Mommy, I love you too much you can't even guess.  I love you 59 hundred batrillion mrillion!  Is that a lot mom?" "Oh yes, that must be a lot!" I say.  "That's more than you, right mom?"  "No way, man!  I love you a whole, whole bunch more than that."

"Hmmm...," he said while he thought a minute. "Do you love me taller than a tree?"  "Yes, taller than a tree," I said. 

"Do you love me bigger than outer space?"  "Yes sir, I love you farther than outer space."

"Do you love me bigger than a giant?" he asked with eyes big and wide.  "Like the giant, Goliath, that David fought with God on his side?' I asked.  "Yep, that's the one," said Andrew.  "Oh yes, I love you bigger than any giant"

"Wow," Andrew said thoughtfully.  "I got one mom!  Do you love me bigger than Santa Claus?"  "Sure thing, Andrew," I say with a chuckle.  "I love you much, much more than Santa Claus."  "Yep, that's good.  Santa is soooooo big. Right, mom?"  He laughs while making a round belly with his little hands.

That satisfied him for the time being.  I guess that is showing some pretty good-sized love when you can be loved "bigger" than Santa Claus!

Some of our other all time favorite bedtime stories:

You're All My Favorites by Sam McBratney
I Love You This Much by Lynn Hodges and Sue Buchanan
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
All God's Critters by Bill Staines

I Just Put an Onion in the Freezer and the Milk in the Cupboard...

"I WANT a snack! I WANT a snack! I WANT a snack! ...please...Does that work?"  This is what was affectionately being requested, stated, screamed, and then followed up by a pleasant "please" after we remembered our manners.  All while I hurriedly tried to get dinner in the oven so it would be ready by the time Ryan's little timer in his tummy started to go off - which is 6 o'clock sharp!

Life is full of expectations and distractions.  As moms, we are always trying to fulfill those expectations - a clean house, laundry washed, dried and folded (did I mention put away?), children bathed (preferably on a daily basis) and needs met, being an affectionate, adoring wife and mother...the list goes on and on in different ways for each of us.
I find myself running in circles.  And then I wonder why I can't remember where I laid my toothbrush this morning after chasing the 21 month-old out of my bathroom trying to recapture the lotion bottle. Or why I put half of an onion in the freezer and the milk carton in the cupboard after using them to cook dinner.  (I found both before it was too late!)

It is a true phenomenon why a perfectly normal and functioning female brain is so affected after having a child (or children)!  I had the hardest time describing the location of anything after having Andrew.  Mike would ask me where something was in the kitchen as he so sweetly was helping with dinner and I simple couldn't tell him.  "Umm...it's in the thing above the other thing. Nope the other one, one more...yes, there. Hmm...not there, well, then I have no idea!"  Frustrating.

This is just one of the many aggravations and surprises that happens to each of us as mothers.  I'm curious to know what surprises took place with your body after having a baby.  (My feet grew half a size!  Never knew that could happen until after pregnancy!)

P.S. The dinner I made tonight was great!  And easy and fast!  Here's the recipe:

Oven Pork Chops
6 pork chops
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of mushroom soup (I used cream of celery soup.)
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 med. onion, chopped
6 tbsp. ketchup

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Brown the pork chops and place them in a casserole dish. Combine the onion, cream of mushroom soup, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup. Mix well and spread over the pork chops. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.

I made mashed potatoes too and the sauce leftover in the casserole dish made a yummy gravy.  Next time I make this I am going to make them in the crock pot and see how they turn out.  Otherwise, this will have to be a weekend recipe!

Spook-tacular!

If you couldn't tell by the change in the look of my blog design, let me fill you in - I am excited about Halloween!  I really do love this time of year (even though I am a warm, or rather hot, weather kind of girl!).  I love the buzz in the air that begins with back-to-school activities, and I love the anticipation of all the wonderful family gatherings that begins with Halloween!

Growing up in a very small town, trick or treating (which folks in Iowa call "tricks or treat") was a very special time of the year.  It was truly the picture that is painted by so many Halloween movies where the children are all out roaming about, parents are walking them up door to door, and neighbors and their homes are decked out waiting expectantly to fright or (pretend) to be frightened.

Nowhere else I have been comes close to beating the trick or treating traditions of the little town where I grew up.  Even my parents play their part whole-heartedly now that my sisters and I are grown up.  They dress up and provide extra special treats of "witch's brew" with floating eyeballs and other such goodies.

Now that Andrew is old enough to understand the fun and silliness of this holiday, I love it even more!

Last year, we had a great time carving pumpkins together.  My sister, Aunt LaLa, was living with us and joined in the pumpkin carving frenzy.



Aunt LaLa - It was a SCARY effort! HA!



Andrew with his pumpkin and Ryan's pumpkin

The Line Up: Mrs. Gourdgeous, LittleTyke, 3EyedJack, FrankenScare, Mr. Boo

Simply put - we had a great time... we were in stitches the entire time while we were working on our creations!  Giggling at Andrew's first encounter with the gooey innards of the pumpkin "Eww...yuck! Wash my hands, wash my hands lickety-split!" to endless side-splitting laughter over Aunt LaLa's carving attempts.

I can't wait to enjoy each other's company again during the "Hansen Carve-off" this year!  May the best gourd be thumped, picked, and carved!!

Who are you rooting for?

Yellow.  That is the favorite color in our house, especially during football season.  We root for two teams in yellow.  If you know our family, you know that the Hawkeyes are a big part of the Hansen "love" list.

But you may not know that our other team sporting yellow (or bronze) is the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos (yes, the spelling is correct!).  Mike and I are both alumni from this school.  I love the university so much that I have been working there for 6 years. 

We live very close to the university, which is so much fun.  I love that we can faintly hear the action on the football field from our backyard.  Every time we drive by the stadium, Andrew asks "That's MY football field and Bronchos, right mom? Right?" 

This past weekend was Homecoming, and it was so much fun.  My office put together a Homecoming parade float - which was the coolest one there!  We decorated Andrew's bike so he could ride it in the parade along with the float.  He had a blast!

He was handing out candy to all of the children on the side of the street - giving everyone their fair-share of one piece each!  My favorite moments of the morning parade festivities were of Andrew riding like a mad man to get back in front of the float (which was really more like an awesome party bus) after getting distracted by handing out candy.  He put his little head down and started to peddle like mad.  As soon as he got going, the bag of candy that was resting on his handle bars broke and showered the street with candy for a good six feet or more.  It was a beautiful scene trailing after him in a perfect line of sweetness.  He was very sad, of course.

But that sadness was put aside, and brings me to my second favorite moment.  There were of course several police officers out along the parade route redirecting traffic and watching out for the safety of the parade participants.  One of the police officers was a burly guy on a motorcycle.  Andrew without hesitating rode straight up to him and asked him if he would like a sucker.  It was the greatest image, one that should be a Norman Rockwell painting.

That night as I tucked Andrew in bed, I asked Andrew what his favorite part of the day was.  Of course he said the parade, then as I was turning off his lights he said, "Mom, I really love my Bronchos."  "Me too," I echoed.

Living in a university town (for the time being) is great.  There is always something going on, and I am in love with the vibes of knowledge that surround a university campus and the community that benefits from its presence.

Gotta love the Bronze and Blue! Go Bronchos!

Andrew in the campus library.



Andrew with decades of Central Broncho mascots.



The Morning Drive

Most mornings are a mad dash out the back door, into the car, dropping off the boys at each of their schools, and skidding into the parking lot at work (as long as all 17,000+ students and 3,000+ faculty/staff haven't beat me to the last parking spot left on campus!).  We have more successful mornings of making this happen - and then there is the majority of what seems to be a paradox of time that skips thirty minutes to an hour of life! 

It just doesn't seem to matter if I get up 30 minutes early or later than the time my alarm is set for - we always seem to be sprinting out of the house at the same time every morning.  And by the way, that demanding alarm clock always makes me think of Disney's Cinderella when she comments about Big Ben (that even "he bosses me around").

I was thinking about our ride in the car every morning, and how most days no matter how "hurry, scurry" we are (as I so loving tell Andrew over and over again) it sets a wonderful tone for the day.  How can anyone start off on a bad day with this little guy in the car?

Just like Daddy... Lovin' those Hawkeyes!

The hat was on the bedroom floor.  As Ryan walked by it, he grinned from ear to ear and let out a happy giggle and exclaimed "Daddy!"  He immediately picked up the hat and placed it on his head.  He wouldn't take it off as we walked out the door.  Once we reached the daycare, he wouldn't let me take it off so I carried him in with the hat on his head.  Too precious!

Now, for the majority of what fills our car ride in the morning.  Let me give you just a glimpse of the very zany and silly life of a four year-old on his way to "Big School".  (And yes, for those of you who will be concerned that we are in a moving vehicle, my hands were on the wheel and eyes on the road!)

Don't you love the spontaneity of the song lyrics.  This is just a very small glimpse at the never ending curiosity, insightfulness, brotherly love and just plain talkin' that goes on in the back seat of the ole' Saturn Vue!

I wouldn't give up my morning drives for anything!


P.S.  Please keep the Kastl family in your thoughts and prayers.  Our very close family friend has just lost her mother to cancer and her service is tomorrow.  We all know she is singing and praising God with the Heavenly Host in Heaven, but she will certainly be missed here on Earth until we are all there with her.  She was such a truly beautiful woman.  I only hope that I live out my life to be like Jesus Christ as much as she demonstrated her walk with Him in her life.