sugar&spice

Spilling the Beans!

2012-02-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

The last 3 months have been so exciting! It has also been the absolute hardest not to share with others what has been going on with us.

Call our news what you want.

Spilling the beans?

Or maybe...

Showing all of our cards?!

But I'll tell you what, it's going to be GOOD!

You guessed it!!

We are going to be having baby Woosley #2!!

I'm 12 weeks pregnant and it's been so hard for us to keep this a secret. I'm doing great and growing fast!

You want to know the major shocker to this story?!

It happened naturally!

Did you hear that?

NATURALLY!!

If you don't know our story of the many years of heartache and pain trying to get pregnant,

Click HERE

I also did a blog on the secret of how we got pregnant naturally.

Click HERE if you would like that story.

I can't put into words how happy and thrilled we are(which is a bummer, since this a blog). We give our praises to God for this blessing.

Oh, that feels so much better letting you know about this!

So...

who's ready to talk baby with me?

xoxo

Get the heck outta dodge!

2012-02-05T20:09:00.001-08:00

We needed a break!

A break from our minds working when we're not. There's always a email to reply to, a phone call to return, a business that needs cleaned, a problem that needs addressed, or a new plan to talk through. That's the story of two people in a marriage that each runs their own business.

But at the same time, we can have a flexible schedule. We call the shots and have opportunities to be together as a family a lot. We like to call it time wealth :)

So today we headed to Omaha. When the tires hit the interstate there is almost a sigh of relief. Our minds clear and we are truly "off" work.

This sweet little girl needed some time to just be silly!

Just a little course correction.

These two walked around this tree planter. They both had the biggest smile on there faces. She held his hand so proudly almost like saying, "Yep, this is MY daddy!" He held her so delicately as if she was royalty(she is to him!).

Oh, found a ramp!

Time... to...

RUN!

And she needed to add a little cheese with that smile. Because that's just what she does!

"Jump High!" was what she kept saying. We stopped and let her jump. After she got done jumping, she looked up at the sky and said "high." In her mind she was jumping as high as the sky. You betcha, girl, You did jump high!

I took this picture for Tim. He has a love for walking through a music store and they're closing down faster then you can say MP3. We use to have several Homers in Lincoln. Now sadly, Omaha has only one left. I'm guessing it won't last long.

Omaha is our home away from home. Although we would never want to live there again, it's where we get our mental medicine.

Unbelievable. Or is it?

2012-01-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

We have been happily married for over 11 years and have been trying to conceive for six of those years. Month after month of trying delivered nothing but sadness and heartache. After years of trying on our own, we searched for the help of others who might aid us in having a baby.

One day I called up a chiropractor that I've been hearing people talk about during several conversations with different people. Tim and I then went to a meeting that explained more about them. They mentioned that if I was going to go through the program, they highly recommended that my family go through it also. It would be a change of lifestyle that would be difficult if your family wasn't on board. I soon found myself and my family in the waiting room filling out paperwork.

They did an exam to see if they could help us and to find out what our current health looked like. I'm SO glad we did this. Tim was worse off than me, but we all needed some help.

Ruby had a scan done to see if there was pressure in her neck. I thought that there was no way. She's 2 years old... what kind of trauma could she have? Well, unto my surprise, she had trauma. This was hard for me to hear and broke my heart. I wanted to know why she had pain. I learned that when you have a c-section, your baby is pulled out of the womb by their neck. This isn't an easy task. There is something called back suction, where the body naturally goes against the pull. So, that's where her trauma originated.

I started reading the testimonials and as I read story after story I was amazed. This gave me great hope.

We got our scans and exercises and went to work. We were fully committed to giving this our best. We followed the instructions of the entire staff. We threw out all of our rancid oils, nasty frying pans, changed our diets, and even said good-bye to our microwave!

They say that they "turn the power back on" and God heals your body. Your spine is the control center for your nerves which control your organs. If only a weight of a dime is to sit on a nerve then it could shut down a organ up to 50%. What I thought was interesting is you can't feel many nerves. So that's a reason a heart attack is sudden, more so in women.

Our bodies are healing naturally! We are also noticing important changes!

both of our allergies are gone
Tim's plantar fasciitis is gone
he no longer snores anymore
Ruby's eczema has cleared up
when she get sick (which is rarely) it doesn't last long!!
I'm pregnant after only 3 months of going there!!

This is the first time in our lives that we feel that we are on the right track concerning our health.

We have been to several doctors, chiropractors and other various health professionals, but none of them seemed to have the approach that this chiropractor's office have. They are educators as well as chiropractors. My husband and I look forward to every visit knowing we will learn something new that will benefit us in the long term.

So we will continue to do this the rest of our lives. We will be forever grateful for all the knowledge and practical advice that we have received. Keep you posted on how it goes and all the new changes!!!

an expression of me

2011-12-29T20:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011

I LOVED decorating my window at work!

I thought I should put together a blog of some of the displays I've done. This is not all of them. Lots of times I forget to take photos of them, but these are some of my favorites.

Five strands of lights went on this baby.

I have enjoyed this display. The last thing I want is this window to scream "HAIR SALON" with bad hair photos that fade out from the sun and instantly look like they're from 1982.

I'd rather find some old wood and beat up metal piece of something and hang it with rope and rusty chains.

Now you're talkin' my language!

You know what's humbling...

When people that I don't even know come by and take photos of the window. Or when they come in and compliment it.

Valentines 2011

I wanted the biggest heart I could find. Tim found these two pieces of wood in the garage, cut them, then painted and hinged them together.

I added the rope and wire.

YES... now complete.

May 2011

I dreamt of hanging real plants in bags in the window, but how in the world do I pull this off? I can't say that I have a green thumb. I did some research and thankfully they lasted until AUGUST!!

Those are pea's climbing up the yarn, I actually grew some peas. They tasted good :)

Christmas 2010

I hung anything that I could think of. I have a lot of things from my mother that I put in here. It's a bit of a stretch for me to do this but it brings me joy. Anyone who knows me knows that my mother also found joy in decorating. I would have loved to seen what she would have done with this window.

Maybe decorating windows makes me feel closer to her.

Tim and I spent time making these paper chains while watching movies. They were great until the ceiling leaked and down came the chains. :(

Oh Well. You learn. Old buildings leak.

If you ever come by the salon to get your hair done or just to look at the window, make sure you also walk west a little longer and pass the alley there at Penny Lane Trading Company. You will see some awesome window displays. My brother has a completely different style then me. I think it's incredible.

Hmm...does it run in the family?

I'd like to think so.

doing Girl stuff!

2011-12-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

Our nails needed some TLC and I have an eager partner.

She sat through three coats of paint patiently watching as we took turns. She was quick to hold out her hands waiting for me to finish mine.

To be honest I didn't know how well a 2 year old would do with this. I had foreseen a disaster happening as she finally lost her desire to sit and NOT touch ANYTHING; her patience disappeared like a box of chocolates. But she was an angel!

I couldn't help but to feel giddy! This simple act of painting our nails was like a rite of passage for a mother and daughter and I went skipping through it.

It's just the beginning right? First, it's painting our nails, followed by dealing with her friends and (then the heart wrenching part for a mother) falling in love. Along comes a wedding and so on.

They grow up so fast.

I've not only been told this a hundred times but it echos through my head as a constant reminder to slow down and ENJOY every moment.

So I took it slow.

Enjoyed brushing the polish on her tiny nails. Some nails just took a drop of polish and even that was too much. I watched her as I did this and I've tattooed her smile in my memory.

She did great!

We let them dry by blowing gently on them. For the rest of the day I noticed her looking down at her new color and then she'd replay the story to me of how she saw it. Her story is more precious than mine. ;)

photoshoot with daddy!

2011-11-27T12:23:00.000-08:00

Tim and Ruby played out in the leaves one day when I was at work. Tim was so thoughtful and decided to document their time together.

As a side note, I didn't doctor up any of these pictures. They are untouched and as raw as they get.

I believe that Tim is a natural at taking pictures!

Hmm...

perhaps another family business?!

Its clear that they are having a little too much fun without me. ;)

She always wants to help out. I'm guessing she is copying daddy here.

Wow! This leaves me speechless.

Oh, the fun of being a kid and experiencing the little things.

playing catch up...SUPER long post

2011-11-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we went to the north side and enjoyed us some Cracker Barrel. When we all left and our plates were empty and tummies full, our sugar high took us to a park where we needed to find some way to get our energy out. It was just another wonderful Woosley memory, which we love to make many!

This has been a beautiful Autumn. Today as I write this it would be a great day to put cozy sweaters and hats on and play outside, but instead we are cozied up on the loveseat watching Polar Express. We are daydreaming about which Christmas tree we are going to pick out, which baked goodies I'm going to make, and which Christmas songs Ruby is going to love!

I know, I know, a little soon to be excited for that, but honestly, I can't wait to experience Christmas again through a child's eyes. The magical feeling it brings the beauty of The Christmas Story and all the Christmas lights. I can hear Ruby now as she sees all the lights. With her eyes open wide, she will let out a big "WOOOOOOW!"

OK, back to Autumn... ;)

We have taking every day that is nice and spening some time at the park. She is getting braver and sliding down all the big slides, going on the little and big swings. We pretend to be flying in the worlds fastest airplane and sliding down the biggest mountains.

Welcoming much imagination.

This is one of my favorite pictures!

As fall comes to its end and a new season starts, I realize my plans for this fall looked a bit different than what they turned out to be. I had BIG ideas and excited what God was going to do in our lives.

OH, wait...I love this one too!!

Your sweet kisses are the best. They make any bad day go away!

I am prone to believing that I would make a pretty great event planner for God-at least in my life, right? I know what is best for me, or do I?

I have such good ideas, why doesn't He consult me more often?

Regardless of what I think is best, after all my consulting with God and thinking we are on the same page, He has bigger and better plans for us.
He is constantly challenging me. The minute I think I've got it under control, he goes and changes it up and allows the rug to be swept out from under me.

As I look back on my life and I think I've got a great plan, it doesn't always work out. I'm crushed for that day. Upon my pondering life's events I realize that it ALWAYS turns out better.

I'm glad I'm not in control. That's too stressful.
Could you imagine?

Ohhh, daddy's turn to get a kiss. Goodbye bad day! Hello a slice of heaven!

I don't like the rug being pulled out from under me.
But which is worse?

Staying the same...
...or changing for the better?

We wore Converse shoes at our wedding. In fact, when I first met Tim, he was wearing them with a tux! So now he wanted Ruby to have a pair.

I was OVER THE TOP when I opened mine up. It was a good laugh, though!

The sun set so pretty. You are a delight to be with Miss Ruby Grace!

Good night!

I praise her for her good choices, and gently guide her in the right direction. Yet as I sit here and attempt to teach my daughter patience, I realize that I have only a few short years to teach her BIG stuff. Stuff that right now she won't understand but it will benefit her in the future.

I don't want to miss the sweet small things or take our time together for granted. I want every day to be intentional. The last thing I want is to just get by. For one day to run into the next and then someday wonder where all those important years went.

I wonder if maybe that's exactly what God is trying to teach me.

******

VALA'S

We always look forward to all the wonderful things that fall brings--the smells, the colors, and the events.

Vala's Pumpkin Patch definitely has a very fond place in our hearts. We've gone here every year since I've known my husband and even some years before I knew him. We've watched this place grow like crazy. Every year they add many more family things to eat, ride, play or watch.

Ruby absolutely LOVES horses. She had a smile that never stopped.

Ruby was here when she was only a few months old. I carried her in a moby wrap, which I think I wore for most of her first year of life. She slept through the majority of it, but we were so proud to have a child we could share this with...awake or asleep.

Ruby at 8 weeks old

Yep, she's growing fast. And a ton of fun!

Although she is a little dramatic at times...Wonder where she get that from?

She was doing all the right moves. "I'm a little tea pot, short and stout..."

"...Here is my handle. Here is my spout." So Darn Cute. We got some on video!

This park area is all new and pretty cool! You can build your own log cabin or just play on the super fun play set!

She had a ball on this slide except when she came out upside down. She gave us that look of terror on her face. That was the last of that slide.

Tim made Ruby laugh so hard bouncing up and down.

Watching a dog show here! (hence the HUGE smile on Ms. R's face!)

Good-bye Vala's. You never disappoint.

****

I wanted to see the interstate where it was flooded. It had been cloudy all day and raining here and there. When we went to this lookout point, the sky opened up and the sun now owned the heavens just as it was going down for the day.

It was stunning!

She found and picked a flower.

Danced around.

Did funny poses.

She sat and ran.

The sun lit her up like a Christmas tree. She had a glow to her just like every thing around her.

Heading home from such a lovely day. We'll have to do this again!

Aw, CRAP

2011-09-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

"Tim, are we ready to do this?"

"Yep, Let's do this." he replies.

Wait...

Can we afford this?

What's it cost again? HOW MUCH?

Well, I guess the price went up, huh?

Tim reasures me, "Babe, we can do this!!"

OK.OK.OK.

Physically, ready.

Emotionally, ready.

Scared.

Anxious.

Excited.

Buckle Up. We are ready to take a ride.

"So, Doc, what happened last time?" I ask curiously. "We had 14 eggs fertilized and only two made it to five days. Then, of course, we only ended up with one."

"Well, as I looked back on your chart, it looks like all the eggs disintegrated." was her reply.

"REALLY?" I thought aloud. I was surprised.

She noticed my concern. "This time we are going to give you LESS medicine. That should give you less quantity but better quality."

Wow. Ruby was from that same In-Vitro Fertilization.

"Babe, can you believe that?" I asked. "Ruby is truly a miracle."

OK. Great news. Today is finally the last day on this birth control pill. Those 26 days were not fun. Now it's time for the serious stuff.

Time for the shots.

Wondering, I ask, "OK, Babe, do you remember how to give me those shots?"

"Of course," he says confidently,

"It's just like riding a bike, huh?"

Deep breath in and out.

I tell myself to think of something else...

Inside my mind I am whimpering, "Oh, that stings! It's burning!"

And... that's it.

"That was fast, babe." I encourage.

"Good job."

We do this all over again 12 hours later.

We go up to Omaha again tomorrow. This time we do another lab and ultrasound. No need to get a babysitter.

Can you believe that in ten days I could be pregnant?! Oh, Man. It seems to be going fast!!

I'm so excited!

"Babe, just a few weeks ago I was really anxious." I tell Tim. I hate that feeling. It felt like I couldn't get a deep breath. I would stop what I was doing and take a deep breath, trying to control my feelings. I had to ask myself what my problem was. It was kinda gnawing in the back of my head. A feeling I was wanting to ignore.

Just then it hit me.

Emily, you have to give this up. Give this to God. It's going to be a bad fight if you do this alone.
Trust Him.
Trust Him.

That day things changed.

I gave it up.

I asked for peace.

I received a peace that I can't explain.

Anxiety is a terrible feeling.

It can steal your joy.

It makes you focus on yourself. You can be sucked into a state of busyness and restlesness all at the same time.

You miss seeing the good things because your trying to feel better.

Just then.

IT was GONE.

Felt like someone had takin a bullet to that feeling inside me a killed it.

Peace replaced it.

Tim and Ruby are waiting in the waiting room in the doctor's office. I head back to get lab work done and another ultrasound. Today is day three on the shots. That means we've already gone through $900 in medicine. In that very short time that money slipped through our hands.

But you wanna know something?

That money means nothing to us compared to wanting a child.

It could of been three times that amount and we wouldn't have blinked an eye.

Meanwhile, I'm looking at Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's family of seven, wondering if they went through in vitro or something like that? If so, it was just pocket change for them.

I catch myself admiring them. Why? Not for their fame or fortune or looks or anything as petty as that. But because they have what we want so bad.

Children.

The doctor comes in the room. Once again, I'm literally in a uncomfortable postion.

She says "Are you ready?"

Yep.

"Oh Em..."

She looks at me through the top of her glasses. She starts shaking her head as if I had just done something that deserved a grounding.

With great disappointment she says...

"You have a runaway follicle."

...a runaway what?

"No, I don't." I argue. "It's right there...I see it." (I've seen those black,and white screens enough) "Actually I think that follicle looks big and perfect." I replied with my two cents.

"That's the problem," she responded.

"It's too big, too soon."

"So... we can't do it this time?"

No. Sorry.

I try to lean closer into the black and white screen, forgetting that I'm connected to this device.

I recline back and try to process how that could be possible.

Grilling her for answers. She can't explain it.

"This just happens sometimes." she tells me.

This just happenes sometimes. I can't deal with "this just happens sometimes."

No explanation. After all the testing, drugs, and studying my body, that's all I get.

Still feelling a indescribable peace. I'm also left with feeling a natural disappointment and again another road block for us wanting to have children.

Our desire to have children is so strong that it hits the very core of my husband's and my heartstrings. We have longed and waited for our children. Been face down in prayer. Sometimes I catch myself begging for children.

I believe He's not saying, "No." He's just saying, "Not now."

I tell myeslf to remember that weight that was lifted off of my chest.

It's not about me and that's a hard truth to swallow.

It's never been about me.

Sweet Jesus, mend my heart.

Something too hard is simple for you. Nothing is too difficult for you.

I will rest my emptiness in you.

So now what?

We wait.

I believe I'll gain a strentgh from what is so hard to handle.

Refining.

I don't like refining.

You Give and Take Away.

and yes,

I will praise you in the storm.

another phone dump!

2011-09-10T10:44:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Ruby!

2011-08-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe my baby is already two! Sigh! Why do babies have to grow up so fast?!

We went to Omaha and played around at Zorinsky Lake for Ruby's birthday!

Things I love about Ruby!

You love balloons, I enjoy how happy they make you.

I love the way you say "meow" or "oink,oink."

Your tight hugs and soft kisses melt my heart.

You love to dance.

You pour out your love on your stuffed animals.

You love our night time routine.

Nothing else will ever make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, as motherhood. ~ Elia Parsons

Park and water are favorite places of yours.

You're social as long as it's on your terms

You don't like flies.

You love your books.

Yellow, blue and green are colors you say the most.

You say "bye-bye" in an adorable high voice.

You always seem happy but you're at your happiest when all three of us are together.

You know a lot of sign language and many you've made up.

You love anything sweet tasting.

There is only one way to lead a child down the right path...that is to go that way yourself.

A stroll with daddy.

Da-Dee!

This lake is in the process of being refilled. Tim is sitting at the end of the dock where there at one time was A LOT more water.

Ruby you've made this world a better place. You've made your dad and I better people.

Happy birthday, my two year old sweet girl!

love you,
xoxo

***

build your own teepee!

2011-08-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make a teepee for a while now. I know what materials I needed to get, but I really didn't want to go and buy bamboo sticks to put it together.

Recently a bad storm came through last Saturday and blew over tons of trees all over Lincoln. I decided to make lemonade out of lemons. So I walked around the corner from where I live and asked the neighbors if I could have some of the fallen limbs. They were happy for me to take it.

I trimmed off all the small branches and leaves at the bottom and middle then left the top alone. I ended up really liking that look anyhow!

Then I used curly ribbon (because I didn't have twine) to tie the branches together at the top.

While I was picking out my new teepee sticks, Ruby seemed a bit leery of what was going on. This meant that she wanted me to hold her while I was gathering these limbs. Then she wouldn't let me put her down while I was bringing them home. Look out everyone, here I come...holding Ruby in one arm and dragging part of a tree behind me..."Sorry cars, you're just going to have to wait..."

We had fun putting it together. I didn't have anything to do today so we paced out our day, going in the house occasionally for snacks and toys.

We played peek-a-boo and laughed until our tummies hurt!

Come out of your castle, fair maiden!

Alright, the fun is just getting started! Daddy will always join you for tea!

She can pretend with the best of them.

Here's to you Ruby! You're going to be TWO years old in two days. You have taught me to see the world through different eyes and I thank you for that. You are a slice of Heaven. I love you!

July Phone dump!

2011-07-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

Chicago, Ladies and Gentlemen!

2011-07-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

We pulled out of the driveway at 4am and headed to Chicago. Tim had a conference so we decided to make a little vacation!

It's been awhile since I've seen the sun come up. It was more beautiful than I remember. Maybe it's because I now have a greater love in life. God gave me a child and I know that he loves her more than I could. That makes me love Him more. This sunrise was beautiful because that is how He wanted it.

Good morning sun! I've been waiting for you.

Oh Yes!! We had to stop at Ikea! We have made special trips just to go to Ikea in Minneapolis. We found out that there were two Ikea's in the Chicago area. Yes, my heart jumped for joy!

After Ikea, we stopped at a place called Potbellies for a bite to eat. We all LOVE chocolate shakes. Here Ruby and Dad race to see who gets done first...or a "brain freeze" first.

People are EVERYWHERE. Honestly, I was surprised they weren't in the bathroom stall with me. This business made me really appreciate Lincoln. The sun is sure pretty reflecting off all the buildings. Sears Tower is straight ahead.

Do I dare step out into this glass box 103 floors up??

There is a couple of small viewing window boxes to look out at the city made of glass. People up there acted like it was no big deal. A lot of them would lay down in the box. People were doing push ups and jumping while their friends took photos. Again, masses of people. When I was finally ready I had to squeeze my way in there. As Tim took photos, I would have an audience of people all watching and waiting their turn.

People are very friendly in Chicago. When you ask people how they're doing in Lincoln you get, "Good. OK. Great." for their response. In Chicago it's different. If you ask be prepared to get a detailed report on how their days is. If you stay long enough, you'll learn about there family, jobs and hobbies.

They are also SO willing to take a photo of your family for you. NICE, huh? Well, since I got this new camera I'm leery about handing it over, but I did it!

Goodbye Sears Tower. (It's the tallest tower in the back.) You were good to us! It was a good experience. I highly recommend it!

This guitar store came very highly recommended by a friend of Tim's that's a Chicago native. It was so worth going there. Tim soaked it all in and will some day be back.

This pizza is known to be the best in the city. It was quite a deal to pick it up in downtown Chicago. We had to park in yet another garage. I bet we spent probably $100 in garage parking over those 4 days. UGH, wasn't planning on that.

After placing our order on the phone, we still had to wait for an hour at the restaurant. We took it to go. A good thing too. This place was tiny! There was NO place to sit and if we would have waited to eat there, you would have had to squeeze in a tiny table and had waiters elbows in your food. Pass.

This bird was so still and pretty.

Hello Navy Pier!! If I could put you in my suitcase, I would take you home and put you in my back yard!

It was absolutely gorgeous out there. Ruby and I had the pier almost to ourselves. At quite a cost though. Here's the story.

We had to check out of our first hotel at 11am and were not allowed to check in our second hotel until 3pm. Tim had a meeting, so Miss R and I decided to head to the pier. Tim wrote out a detailed map and made sure that I was confident in dealing with the big bully called Chicago traffic.

I felt good and was excited. (OK, lets do this!) While driving in this traffic you have to "go with the flow" or you WILL get into a accident. I put on my racing gloves, buckled my belt, and put on a video for Ruby.

We were moving along really well. I was doing it! I was passing people, driving in the right lane and watching all the signs. I checked my mirrors and saw that the sky was getting really dark, the strom was rolling in fast and soon I was turning on my headlights.

Great... a storm. UGH. Suddenly traffic came to a stop. I was stuck in the far right lane as a storm came in and intense wind would have been throwing us around if I was moving. Ruby starts crying as she hears the thunder crash. The rain was so intense it sounded like rocks hitting the car.

My heart starts beating faster as I hear sirens coming my way. I start comforting Ruby as I sing "You Are My Sunshine." I knew I had to get off this interstate.

Shortly thereafter I saw an exit and we pushed our way over to the left lane. I then saw a Walgreen's. Perfect! A place of refuge. In we went. We played with hair ties, balls, toy lawn mowers and stuffed animals. Tim called and helped me build up confidence to make the drive. He said I was almost there and the rain was letting up. I bought Ruby some playdough and as we were leaving the power at Walgreens goes out. GREAT, what does this mean? Is the storm getting worse?

Well, I'm trusting what Tim said. And away we went.

He was right. I was only a few minutes away and it cleared up in no time. Actually, the storm scared everyone away so the pier was ours. Except for the nice man taking the photo. No Sir, you have to actually put the camera up to your eye and look through it the old fashion way. He still got a good shot.

She pulled the hat out of the bottom of the stroller and danced around.

Hotel bound, but first had to enjoy some good 'ol Chicago-style hot dogs. Put everything on it please!!!

Hello Millennium Park!

This sculpture is named "Cloud City" but everybody knows it as "The Bean." It seems to be many people's favorite place.

Yep, the great thing about "time-outs" is that they can be any corner, hallway, living room, park or city.

Here we are at the Crown Fountain. This was a good time here. Any time you have water close enough for Ruby to get her hands in, she will always be in a fantastic mood-whether it's in a bathroom where she is washing her hands or a sprinkler park.

These giant brick walls were like TVs. The faces would change frequently and would eventually have water shot out of their mouths.

She really didn't care so much for the waterfall as she did the water right under her feet.

A reflection of the photo below!

Pretty skyline in the background.

Ready to head home?

Not yet...

We had to stop at American Girl for my mothers sake. She always wanted to take me and my daughter here. It was late and we were homeward bound after the park. If we went to American Girl, it would be driving in more downtown traffic and another parking garage which cost us $19. But it was very important to Tim that he got us there. Ruby was tired, but once she walked through those doors she was on cloud 9.

I was a bit choked up walking through those doors. Mom was supposed to be with me or so I thought.

Good night Chicago. We will be back some day. I hope you will learn some manners :)

take me out to the ball game!

2011-06-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

We spent Monday evening at the ball park with family watching my talented niece!

My dad got in some good time with the grandkids.

The bunch of us.

It was a beautiful evening. The Nebraska weather in June is all over the board. This summer we've had flooding, hot days and cool ones! This night was cool. I almost wondered if we would need a jacket.

'Cause it's one, two, three strikes you're out at the ol' ball game!

you're an amazing daddy

2011-06-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

Celebrating my Father

2011-06-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

I started off this Father's Day celebrating my father with a bike ride. It brought back some wonderful childhood memories for us all.

We loved being on the bike path early in the morning. Dad wanted to go to the cemetery and then get breakfast.

Us girls as the bookends and boys in the middle here. We changed our line up the frequently which was nice.

Older brother Jesse and my baby sister Sarah. :)

A father and son moment.

My little brother taking in some water...and more water...more water. Thank God the water was running. This boy was getting in his workout! Way to go Benjamin!!

I know, I know. Put the camera down and drive. But look at what beautiful moment I got! :)

Sweating, but lookin' good y'all!

Beautiful.

I love how my dad has his arms out. Being on a bike is so freeing, isn't it?

And... this is what is going on behind me. Yes, the camera is sitting on my shoulder and my sis is saying "your pointing the camera at the trees. More to your right!"

We had a wonderful time. A new tradition, eh!?

Happy Father's day!

2011-06-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

Just so thrilled to be able to celebrate Tim as a Father! What a wonderful father he is.

first post...kinda overwhelming

2011-06-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Well first off thanks for stopping by.

I'm excited about this new blog, a different blog. A blog about life in general. Since I'm a mother and love every minute of it that of coarse will be a large part of the blog. So sit tight! I hope you enjoy it!