a weak effort to wrangle my thoughts into writing

I intended for this blog to be a journal of sorts, so here's one of my random updates and sleepy rambles. Thanks for reading. =)

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I stay at home with my tot. Adam is 15 months old and is such a boy in the ways we expect boys to be: if it has wheels and a motor he's interested. His excitement and joy for simple wonders are unbounded. It's one of those times I realize how in love I am with him. We've been home for about 2 weeks (in the sense that we haven't been gone for a night and we've had a pretty steady routine going on) and it's been great. Adam's sleep habits turned from unacceptable and needy, up every 2 hours (yes, at 14 months old) to self-soothing and sleeping through the night (for stretches of 8-12 hours). Nice!

Yesterday I brought Adam to River Falls to have a sleepover at Chrissy & Mike's apartment. We enjoyed our stay and it made me think back to last year at this time when we would have 2-3 nights at Chrissy's apartment every other week. So many things have changed. Last summer, Chrissy had a roommate other than Mike who wasn't there when we visited. Adam wasn't mobile so he slept right on Chrissy's bed or on the recliner chair. Tim didn't care that Adam and I were gone for so long; actually, Tim liked it. Lots of other things have changed, too.

Chrissy and I have been through a lot in the last year. A lot! Most of all, I realized last night how much I miss Chrissy. It was great hanging out and being able to spend time with Mike and Chrissy. When I got home today I was chatting with my cousin Hailee about wedding plans. When I hung up the phone Tim asked if Mike and Chrissy were getting married. Nope, but we agreed that we wouldn't be surprised if they got engaged soon. =)

It was a nice time, and I'm looking forward to another sleepover with them in early August. A campus visit will be on the agenda because I saw loads of messes and projects of the construction sort in progress. I love the city of River Falls and there are lots of people in my prayers that I don't even know the names of who are from there. It was a couple of days that made me realize I need to keep my family close and my spirit in tune with God. I'm counting my blessings tonight!

the things dreams are made of

It's not very nice out today; it's very windy, so we're staying inside. I made chicken and wild rice soup for lunch. Since we're not quite there yet, I'm dreaming about the things I'm excited to do with Tim & Adam this summer (and Sophie too, of course). Adam is cruising along furniture, and he holds toys in his mouth as he crawls. His daycare buddy is walking and I know it won't be long before Adam joins her. I'm not in a hurry for Adam to walk; I don't have enough band-aids on hand.

It will happen soon enough, and I'm focused on enjoying every stage knowing he'll grow out of these things all too quickly. I try to capture his silliness on video and still shots, afraid I'll forget the noises, the looks, the innocence... I know these days are a blur now, and it'll only be a blurrier blur a few years from now. As my oldest nephew's 6th birthday approaches, I'm holding on for dear life to the enduring little things that define Adam, just as we did with Evan and my other nephews and niece. Gosh, I can't believe he's nearly SIX!

Time flies, and it's a roller coaster of thrills, scares, and everything in between. There's always a song in my head, for every occasion, all the time. Right now its Cheryl Crow's lyrics. These are the days when anything goes. Ahhh..... life! God is so good, and we are so blessed! Anticipation makes the little things so big, and my mind is reeling with stuff I'm excited for this summer.

spending time with Ilisa and the boys
camping w/ the Rohloff family
swimming in pools and lakes
playing at parks
visiting the zoo
play dates
going for walks with Adam in the wagon
visiting family near and far
day trips to see new things
geocaching
vacation out west??
catching fireflies
making nightlights with my niece and nephews
bonfires
church events
gardening
all things Lake Superior
garage sales
farmers markets
drive-in movies
anything to do with friends and family!

what am I missing? ;-)