Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Thankfulness -- Enthusiasm

Today I am thankful for the enthusiasm of my son for the world around him.  His sense of joy and appreciation for the world around him never ceases to make me proud.  Hearing his tiny voice shout out in excitement when he sees something new or exhilarating always puts a smile on my face.  Today, we left the house early to go grocery shopping (exciting stuff, I know) and as we were driving home, we saw about a dozen wild turkeys crossing the road in front of our drive.  We stopped and watched them until they were safely across the street, and then continued to pull into our driveway.  As we approached the house, we saw more and more turkeys in the yard all the way around the house.  I couldn't help but think that Thanksgiving had brought itself to my house, but Orion was SO excited to see them all.  He would sneak around the corner of the house and watch them jumping up on the fence and pecking around.  He would search the small piles of snow we have left until he found turkey tracks and try to figure out where they went.  We probably spent 30 minutes outside in the chilly morning air, giggling and watching the turkeys wander around the yard.  At one point we counted, and there was well over 30 of them...not including the ones that had crossed the street on our way home. Orion was so excited and when they finally decided to leave the yard, Orion waved his arms and yelled "Bye Turkeys!  Thanks for coming!!"  I love that boy so much, and seeing how excited he gets over the little things helps me remember to find my own type of joy in the world.  Today, I'm thankful for his excitement.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Daddy's Face

Orion's quote of the day made me laugh like crazy.

Today we were playing with Seth, tossing stuffed animals at him while he pretended to ignore us. Orion told me to throw it at his face so I, of course, threw it at his butt (butthead he he).  Orion looks at me straight faced and said "No mom.  His face is between his mustache."  I laughed so hard I thought I was going to be sick.  It's little moments like that which make my days better.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Photobooth Selfies -- A Favorite Past Time

Tonight Orion and I got to spend the time as just the two of us.  We ate supper and ice cream, watched some TV, and of course took some time to take Photobooth selfies with my laptop.  It's one of my favorite past times with Orion, watching his face change and seeing him laugh as he makes faces at himself.  He's such a cute boy and I love taking pics of him.  Here are tonight's highlights:



Always my little cheeseball 



Feeling artsy 



Going Thermal


Mom has lost it 


I think I have jaundice




Bug eyed beauty



Cheesin chipmunks 


This is Love






Hugs


Seeing Double

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Fall Adventures

Autumn is a time that seems to be full of even more adventure and excitement for Orion than the summer had.  The last few weeks have been non-stop and this weekend was pretty much the same.  We had a visit from Aunt Jaime and a trip to the Pumpkin Patch.  He loved running around the ranch and seeing all the people.  He also seemed to really enjoy finding the exact pumpkin he wanted to take home.  We could tell (by his snarky attitude) that he was getting tired by the end of the evening for sure, but I'm glad he had a good time.

He also has more frequently began to talk about family and how much he misses them.  When he's not talking about anyone specific, he calls them his "ancestors."  I'm not sure where he came up with this term, honestly, but I think it's adorable.  He has also attached himself to his cousins (my step-sister's sons) and frequently tells me that he misses them.  Very few days go by that he isn't telling us that he misses one family member or another, be it Aunt Ashley,  Little Grandpa, or just his Ancestors in general.  He's such a sweet kid and loves his family so much.  It's a very interesting development in him and I couldn't be more proud of the loving boy he has grown into.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Catching up...again.

At this point, it's quite obvious that I fail at being a regular blogger of any sort.  I have no excuse, other than the chaos of life, family, work, school, and all the other activities that take up so much of our time. We have been very busy through the summer, and the fall doesn't look like it's slowing down any time soon.  Here are some of the highlights of the last few months: 


Orion has taken to talking on his phone.  He tends to talk with his hands and it makes me laugh a lot. 


He still loves hanging out downtown and is getting so big.  We just had to get him new clothes because his arms and legs are too long for practically everything.  


He has become such a sweet kid and has learned to enjoy some time by himself, whether it's playing or just watching the lake.  He's such an amazing kid.  


We do still sporadically take pics together, just because it's fun.  


We visited Lauritzen Gardens again, which is a beautiful park with tons of flowers and walkways.  It was a beautiful visit and we hope to go back again in the spring. 


We also attended a PowWow to explore some Native American culture.  It was very interesting and Orion loved the teepees and all of the drumming. 


Sue came to Omaha, to the Durham museum, so we decided to pay her a visit.  Orion is obsessed with dinosaurs and can spout more facts about them than I can.  He frequently shows off to strangers and makes me proud of his brain.  


 Of course we visited the zoo a few times and rode both the train and Skyfari for the first time.  We were nervous to have O up so high, but he did a great job. 


We have also frequented several local ethnic festivals, including the Greek, Italian, and German festivities.  It's great to live somewhere that we can expose Orion to diverse cultures. 


In July, Orion went to spend a few days with my parents while Seth was out of town for a conference and I was busy with work. We stopped at the Kool-ade museum in Hastings on our way home, which was an interesting experience. 


I have also made friends with a lovely woman who has two little girls about Orion's age.  They play together super well and are adorable together.  


We've spent a lot of time at Fontenelle Forest lately and I love the beautiful environment out there. 


Orion likes it out there too. 


We went to Octoberfest with the Kyles and that was a lot of fun. 


We also went on a horse & buggy ride down town 


Big Grandpa came to visit us, so we got to go to supper with him. 


We also went to the local fair.  


So as you can see, we definitely haven't been spending much time sitting at home with nothing to do.  It's been crazy busy.  Hopefully someday I'll be able to realistically keep up with things on this blog again....but I'm not gonna hold my breath.  I hope things are well with you all.  Have a fantastic day. 


Monday, June 17, 2013

Six weeks of catch up

The last two months have been crazy busy and we've got to do some really fun things.  Orion has started Pre-K and is doing so well.  He is an incredibly smart boy and I'm so proud of him.  Here are our latest adventures!  I hope you have all had an amazing 6 weeks and hopefully you'll hear from us again soon.
 Love & Laughter


Orion & I tend to play dress up occasionally.  He can rock some sun glasses!


We also made Seth a birthday cake...it was beautiful.


We got to go to Rock Fest!  Orion had a blast. 


We hit up the Dinosaurs Alive exhibit at the zoo as well.  Orion LOVED it!


We went to Iowa to a Council Bluffs carnival


We saw the Firefighter Memorial

SURPRISE!


We walked across the state line.


And visited the bugs at the Omaha Children's Museum


Orion got to ride a horse.


And rode rides & slides with Big Grandpa


We went to Durham Museum for their dinosaur exhibit


And Orion got to see Sue for the 2nd time! 

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Thank you Wil Wheaton!

First off, if you haven't yet watched this video, you should:







Wil Wheaton gives advice to a little girl on why it's awesome to be a nerd.  He really is quite an inspirational man and gives a fantastic message to be yourself.  Being a parent to a young boy with a potential geeky future, this is a message that sings deep in my heart.  I desperately want for him to just be who he is, no matter who that is.  His adorable 4-year-old self is so passionate and crazy when it comes to anything that he is interested in, whether it is horses, motorcycles, or dinosaurs. I would hate for anyone to ever make him feel self-conscious about that.   My goal is to foster that passion in him.  I am proud of my geeky little boy.  My goal is to just love and support him in any way I can.  I think that is one of the most important things a parent can do.

My dream for him is the same dream that any parent should have for their child....I want him to be happy, healthy, and in love with life.  Outside of that, the possibilities are endless.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Spring has sprung...maybe?

I have been a terrible blogger.  I'm sure no one is surprised, but I really do try!  *sigh*  Hopefully I can get back to blogging regularly.  Sometimes it is hard to know what to write about.  Overall, life has been going very well.  Spring keeps trying to show it's face, but then the snow comes back.  I'm hoping  to have some actual warm weather sticking around here soon.  I know Orion would be thrilled with that.  He is ready to play outside, to blow bubbles and watch baseball.  Eventually it will happen....it has to stop snowing eventually, right?



Bubbles! 


Orion wants to ride SO badly

Lego garden.  What a cool experience!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

SPRING!

Last weekend my parents came up to spend the weekend with us.  Orion loves to have them around so he had an amazing time.

The weather was beautiful so Orion got to spend a lot of time outside.  They got to try to fly kites (which was only kinda successful considering there wasn't a whole lot of wind happening).



Kite flying is hard work though! 



Orion and Manny got to sit in the cockpit of a jet.  They were both very excited.

The engine alone makes him look very tiny.   


Orion also took the time to dye some eggs.  He thought using his hands was way easier than the egg holder.  I'm pretty sure he'll be multi-colored for weeks. 


He also got to do an egg hunt.  It was a lot of fun to watch him run all over the yard and around the house desperately searching for them.  I actually even enjoyed hiding them with Seth.  It's the little moments in life that I find myself wanting to remember and hold onto.  


Orion got some purple bubbles.   They were uber messy but he really enjoyed them.  They stayed around for a long time and were way easier to see.  I thought it was awesome.


He also convinced Manny to play Kinect Adventures with him.  My mom and I couldn't stop laughing while watching the two of them.  At least they had fun.


Jaime came up to celebrate her birthday as well.  Orion got her playing the game too.  I think she loved it.



We took her out for supper and got to spend some time with her.  We love having her around.


Orion and I also decorated a cake for her....and made her take the thing home with her.  I'm pretty sure she liked it.  Who doesn't love TONS and TONS of sprinkles?  

So those were our adventures last weekend.  It's been crazy around here, but I wouldn't have it any other way.