Levi's Television Debut!

Yesterday Levi & I were on the news to talk about the Buddy Walk!! Click here to watch it.

I hope to get back to the blogging world next week. I have lots to do for work right now & will be helping set up for the Buddy Walk later in the week.

Until next time...

Pinspiration

I have had fun playing around on Pinterest, a virtual bulletin board where you can collect images of all sorts of things. I have found some cool decorating projects that I'd like to try. Click here to see my boards.

I made a menu sign for the kitchen today. You can just frame a piece of scrapbook paper if you want. I made a page in MemoryMixer, my digital scrapbooking software. I bought a $3 frame at Walmart, painted it white, & distressed it with some sandpaper. Here is the end result...


You can write your menu in dry erase marker directly on the glass!

Very inexpensive, very easy. I am hoping this will help with my daily dilemma of not knowing what to fix for dinner! Maybe it would help if I filled it out for the entire week! Oh well, back to work!

Tomorrow Levi & I will be on channel 36 news on the noon show to talk about the Buddy Walk!!

Looking for Beauty

I found this heart in my neighbor's fence while playing outside with Adam tonight.

Oh, how I needed to end my day with that image. I've decided that if you look for beauty, you will find it. Some days are rotten, but you can choose to see the good or choose to see the bad. Abraham Lincoln said, "Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be." I totally agree with that sentiment and want to make up my mind to be joyful. Even when there isn't joy to be found in life. There is a greater joy in knowing that this life is only temporary.

Last night was a rough one. Levi started coughing (or should I say barking) after he fell asleep. His breathing gradually got so bad that he could hardly sleep. Around 3am I was so tired I probably could have fallen asleep while standing up. I was leaning over him in his crib patting his back and would sway without meaning to as I tried to stay awake. Wes took over for me after that and ended up taking Levi to the ER around 5am. A breathing treatment did the trick, and while he is much better, he still was one unhappy boy today.
His daddy sure loves him.

Abigail came to help out so I could rest some today. Wes went to help move the stuff from the DSACK (Down Syndrome Association of Central Kentucky) office to its new location. The boys & I stayed home, and I was so grateful to get a couple hours of sleep while Abigail was here. I could have kissed her when I woke up to find that she cleaned up the mess I left in the kitchen! Adam sure loves his "Abba-dale."
He was all smiles while she was here.


This is my most prized possession. Wes made it at camp as a child and saved it for the first person he told, "I love you." Yep, that's me! Life is beautiful. There is much to be thankful for.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Fall is my favorite. I love the colors, the crisp air, & the anticipation of holidays & family get-togethers around the corner. The pumpkin patch opened, and we went today even with the rain. It still made me just as happy as always. I love the way they have every corner of their barns decorated.
















I rarely buy the boys any clothing. We have had a lot of nice pieces handed down to us, and I get the rest at garage sales or second hand stores. I splurged yesterday at Target when I saw these adorable plaid shirts. I just admired and was not going to buy until I realized that they came in such a wide range of sizes that I could get one for each boy and they could match! I hope everyone likes them b/c they will be wearing these A LOT this year!!

Jam-Packed, Fun-Filled Family Roadtrip! Part 2

We stayed at the historic Peabody Hotel in Memphis, a place I have heard much about but have never visited. LOVED IT!!
Usually my hotel rooms on work trips aren't so full of life. It was such a treat. We have traveled with the boys before, but it was different this time. Levi has gotten big enough that there isn't nearly as much baby gear to pack. Adam is just so pleasant most of the time that he was no trouble at all, and he had a lot of fun.



The Peabody hotel is known for the march of the ducks, which started in 1933. There are ducks that live in the "Royal Duck Palace" on the rooftop. Each morning at 11am, the "Duck Master" marches them into an elevator and into the beautiful fountain in the hotel lobby. They swim in the fountain all day and at 5pm, there is another ceremony in which the ducks are marched back to the elevator and to their rooftop home. The ducks are raised by a local farmer, and every 3 months the ducks at the Peabody are returned to the farm and replaced by 3 new ducks.




Carriage Ride!!











Dinner at Kooky Canucks
Adam was in a perfectly good mood until we sat down...


He did NOT appreciate sitting so close to the buffalo!!

S'Mores for dessert! Yum!





Levi was rockin' the self-feeding thing and loved his graham crackers.

On our way home from Memphis, we stopped in Nashville to see that friend of mine who, like me, sometimes works on Saturdays. Her little boy & Adam are two peas in a pod that both love trains.

I know I have a lot of pictures of these two boys together. It just makes me so happy to see them enjoying each other. My favorite part of the visit was when my friend & I were talking & while he & Adam played in the background, we heard this sweet little exhange of "Thanks you" and "You're welcome." Music to our ears!




(Adam took that picture! I was telling him to hold the camera up a little higher.)

This girl is way at the top of my list of favorite people EVER! We have known each other since we were in the youth group together in St. Louis. We've been to church camp together. We've been on a memorable & meaningful youth trip to the Rocky Mountains together, and after college we lost touch. A few years ago, I was out of town for work in the Memphis area & went to Wed. night Bible class at a Church of Christ nearby. I was shocked to bump into her sister. I gave her my phone number & still remember the first time Kenna called me after all those years of being out of touch. We talked and talked and talked (and haven't stopped talking since!).


After we left Nashville, Wes found out that one of his cousins that lives in Alabama happened to be in Bowling Green, KY this weekend for her sister's baby shower. We got to meet up with the two of them on our way home! Such fun!


We made a lot of memories and had a blast.