"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Hudson Can...SORT!

This summer Hudson learned how to sort by color through the help of this peg board.  Now we can't really do anything else with this toy besides sort the pegs by color.  :)  Daddy sometimes sorts the pegs incorrectly (he is a bit color blind) and Hudson will quickly shake his head no and fix Daddy's mistakes.  So smart!  Now we have moved on to sorting other things, insects and vehicles to name a few.  Thanks Daddy for capturing these photos to help us remember Hudson's growth and learning.  I guess this blog could be Hudson's portfolio (I'm such a teacher).  Ha!  
  

Monday, November 26, 2012

Hudson = Puzzle Master

We have been fixing A LOT of puzzles around here these days.  I would say he has "mastered" peg puzzles and catches on quickly to new ones.  He keeps seeing the same 5 puzzles over and over again so it might be time for a few new ones.  :)  Here are some of my favorite pictures I took last week, catching him in process and then reflecting upon his work.  He is pretty proud of himself, as is his Mommy.  Maybe he is like his Uncle Ben who enjoys fixing puzzles or his Aunt Angela who is a puzzle master herself.    


Thursday, November 22, 2012

twenty-one months


During Hudson's 20th month he...
...learned to sort by color
...can identify his name amongst a group of words/names
...got a cold but recovered quite quickly
...spits in the sink (like Daddy) after brushing his teeth
...says "love you," "moon," "nigh nigh,"and "Grama" (to name a few of our favorites)
...spent two weekends away from Mommy (one with Daddy and the other with Grammy B.)
...amazes his Mommy with how grown up he is every day
...decided it is better to be carried down the stairs than walk down himself
...isn't a big fan of diaper changes and needs some extra encouragement
...takes one good afternoon nap, whose length is still somewhat inconsistent, but improving
...became a cousin to precious Clara Naomi Swinger
...has mastered most of his animal sounds
...went for bike rides in the "Burley Bee" while wearing his bike helmet
...took a big tumble on the cement and got a puffy bloody lip
...sleeps past 7:00 most mornings
...is becoming more persistent about his "wishes" 
...loves "tubby time" 
...continues to use simple sign language to communicate 
...had a blast with Grammy B. when Mommy and Daddy were away for the weekend
...opens his arms up for hugs


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

i created :: a year of books

Friday, October 12th was a special day for "The Swinger Three."  Roy became an uncle, I became an aunt, and Hudson became a cousin.  Yeah!  Ben (Roy's brother) and Jenna welcomed sweet Clara Naomi into the world.  Being 3 1/2 hours away from them was hard but right away we stared counting down the days until we would meet her (Nov. 17th).  I promise...pictures coming soon of our time together from this past weekend.  For those of you who know me well you understand my LOVE for gift giving.  Many days I need to discipline myself to not give, give, give beyond our means.  Roy has me on a gift giving budget (thanks babe).  :)  I wanted to think of the perfect something to give our sweet Clara, something that both she and her parents would enjoy, something that would be lasting and memorable.  So I had this idea to give her 12 board books, one for each month.  So I set off to do some shopping, looking for a dozen books that seemed "just right."  Some of them have been Hudson's favorites, others are classic stories, and some connect with a holiday/special time of year.  From there I wrapped up all 12 books and tossed the first one in the mail for her to open on November 12 with a letter explaining her first year of gifts.  The others were given to Jenna when we saw them this weekend so she is "set" with a year of reading, learning and gifting.  The teacher in me just couldn't resist this idea.  :)  Plus, 12 gifts to open is 12 times the fun...all the year though.  Happy "Everything" sweet Clara!  We love you!  May you unwrap the love for reading in the year ahead.  




Saturday, November 17, 2012

i created :: a thanksgiving treat

In celebration of it being "Thanksgiving week" I thought I would share a fun gift I put together (with the help of a friend) for the ladies in our BSF group on Tuesday mornings.  I tried a new recipe and made these delicious pumpkin muffins (recipe below from The Food Network website) and we packaged them up with a bag of tea and a cute gratitude tag.  I piled them all into one of my Thirty-One bags and we were off to bless and encourage others...one of my favorite things to do!  Who do you want to bless and encourage during this season of thanks GIVING?     


Ingredients:
              1 cup all-purpose flour
              1 cup whole-grain pastry flour
              1 teaspoon baking soda
              1/2 teaspoon salt
              1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
              1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
              1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
              1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
              3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
              3 tablespoons unsulphered molasses
              1/4 cup canola oil
              2 large eggs
              1 cup canned pumpkin
              1 teaspoon vanilla extract
              3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, oil and 1 egg until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan.  Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.
Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.



Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Gratitude Tree

On Friday, November 2nd, I hosted our "First Friday" Play Group event.  Our group started as a fairly small group, Allison and I just invited other moms we knew, and new faces (and some of them familiar faces from years past) are beginning to show up, which makes it lots of fun.  So far our "agendas" have been...
September - Park Play with Snack
October - Pumpkin Patch (cancelled because of the cold) so we met at the Mall Play Area instead
November - Thanksgiving Books and Gratitude Tree
December - Board Book Exchange and Christmas Carols (in just a few weeks)  

Here are a few pictures from our morning together.  What a joy to start off our month with grateful hearts.  

Hudson decorating his pumpkin, using glue of course (his favorite).  

Emily and Evie...love these two!  

Stacy and Kendra...having so much fun!  

Mindy and her twin girls.  

Dawn encouraging grateful reflections with the little ones.  


            Our finished Gratitude Tree.  So many gifts!   

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Beggar's Night

On Tuesday, Oct. 30th, we participated in a few Halloween activities.  Even though I'm not that fond of the holiday, its still a fun reason to gather and spend time with others.  Hudson dressed up in his farmer attire (perfect for a little man whose grandpas are both farmers) and went to a few neighbors homes to get some "treats."  There is no way this mama is letting him eat candy so Roy and I enjoyed it instead.  :)  At one house he even got a banana because they know he doesn't eat candy.  Our Drake friends, Farah and Afifa, came for the evening to take in the festivities with us, as did Papa Ed.    

Papa Ed showed up in his farmer clothes to match Hudson.  So fun!  LOVE this picture!  

Papa also brought over a magazine that shows a combine and makes sounds when you open the page.  Hudson had a blast with this.  Good idea Papa Ed.  :)  

Farah and Afifa working hard on carving their pumpkin.  

All done!  I was very impressed with their attention to detail and carving expertise.  Nice work ladies!  

Farah showing off her new Thirty-One bag.  :)  We were both very excited!  

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Celebrating With Nate & Shannon

Here are a few pictures from the wedding...

Mr. and Mrs. Swinger!

The groomsmen...Dave, Roy, and Tim.  

The Ackerman's and The Swingers!  We love you guys!  Soooo happy for you!    

Made in China...Ha!  Nate and Shannon are both from Wisconsin but met in China while doing ministry.  God is good and He is faithful!  

I had to get a picture of these lanterns.  They filled the room with a touch of China and I was an active member of the team that helped to place them strategically throughout the room.  :)  

A few other gifts from our weekend...
*eating lots of yummy Wisconsin cheese
*celebrating God's faithfulness through the lives of others
*seeing familiar faces and friends from years past
*meeting new friends
*Friday night fish fry
*time alone at Starbucks
*relaxing
*not having to cook/prepare food for 2 days 
*dancing
*sleeping in
*Hudson doing great at home with Grammy B.
*lots of texts (updates) from my mom 
*sunshine
*walks
*safety in travel
*undistracted time to talk with "my man"  

Congratulations Nate and Shannon!  We are so happy for you and are grateful for your faithful friendship.  We are thrilled to hear you will be living in Des Moines (for awhile at least).  Yeah!!  More fun memories to come!    



Friday, November 2, 2012

Leinenkugel's

Last weekend Roy and I spent our first weekend being away together post-Hudson.  We are nearing the 21 month mark so it was time to try it out.  :)  A good friend of ours was getting married in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get away and enjoy some time together.  Plus, 11 hours of driving in the car and two late evenings (rehearsal and wedding) are not the best match for a busy toddler boy.  We are so thankful my mom, aka Grammy B., was available to care for Hudson at our house.  They seemed to have a great time and everything went well.  Grateful!  Roy and I had a little bit of free time on Saturday morning so we took a tour of the Leinenkugel's Leinie Lodge and Brewing Company.  

Roy, enjoying his free samples.  

Capturing the memory outside the lodge.  

The pictures don't seem quite as much fun to post without Hudson in them?!  :) 

The brewing house.  

More pictures from the wedding to come...