It's been a while...

...sorry about that.
But I'm back. :)
We have been back in Iowa from Florida for over a week now.
We were really nervous about Z back in school. BUT he had really great days! He actually did quite well in our Bible Study (he was quiet, well mannered, played with toys quietly, etc.)
Aspen has been working on her walking skills (she won't do it without a finger or a walking toy) and she is working on quite a few teeth in there. :) She is enjoying having her own room, where her brother doesn't wake her up.
Rick is on vacation right now, which is nice, he helps by taking Z to school and helping around the house. :) He put in his Residency choices the other day. We will now in a couple weeks if a match happened and if he has to scramble or not.
I have been busy reading on my new Kindle Fire and knitting. Along with doing a 90-Day Challenge called Body by Vi. Along with meal planning, laundry, cleaning, organizing our stuff (soon), and then playing games and reading books with the kids and Rick.

Sorry no pictures in this post...in the next post is all going to be about Florida and what happened and such.

Highs and Lows on Thursday

Highs...
~ The kiddos are taking naps TOGETHER today!
~ So enjoying the time with my family.
~ So enjoying the SUNSHINE down here in Florida.
~ Highs of the week (well...last Friday) I ended up getting a Kindle Fire...so I've been enjoying that. :) 
~ Rick is about to turn in his Residency Match places

Lows...
~ Aspen has not been feeling well lately, she went to the doctor the other day (luckily she is not more sick than what she could be), she is also getting her bottom molars so she has been so "fun" lately!
~ Z is not doing so well in Potty learning...which is not fun, but it's ok.
~ Rick is about to turn in his Residency Match places (note that it's in both places...because it's a high that we are moving on but a low that we don't know where we are moving too!)

Out with the old...

and on with the new...
Well Happy New Year! I welcome 2012 like NO other! 2011 was a hard one for me and my little family. A lot of trials that I wish we didn't have to learn from. But I do know that during all of it we have had some pure God moments.
I thought I would do a little recap of 2011 and a little preview of what we "expect" in 2012.
January - Kids growing, Rick learning his medical stuff, me trying to be a good wife, mommy among other things

 

February - Dedicated Aspen at our church, Z started doing Early Access at our house to help with his speaking and learning, Rick still learning and I'm still doing my thing

 

 March - Rick had a medical conference in Colorado Springs so we went there with him, got to go to the zoo, see Garden of the Gods, go to the aquarium, see Grandpa Tom and Grandma Jean along with Great Grandma Bobbi (we also lost our second vehicle there. :( all well, we are a one car family yet again)

 

 

 April - kids growing and learning, Rick learning and me doing my thing...also had a wonderful Easter celebration at our church.

 May - BASEBALL season is well underway and we loved going to the Iowa Cubs (triple A team for the Chicago Cubs)

 June - Rick went to Alaska for 2 weeks (on a medical rotation) and the kids and I went to Florida

 

 

 

 

 July - Celebrated the 4th of July with friends, Celebrated my birthday as a family (me and the kids above), enjoyed the free "splash pads around Des Moines to stay cool, I learned how to be a "solo" mom while Rick was on rotations, going to the zoo, talking on the phone and doing skype calls with Rick, amongst other things

 

 

 August - Rick had a rotation out in Colorado, so the kids and I drove out there to spend Z's birthday there and a week there too.

 

 

 

 

 September - Rick is doing his last OMM Fellowship Block, Z started school after Labor Day (4 days a week for a little over 3 hours during that time) One last trip to the Iowa Cubs for the season

 

 

 October - Enjoyed a Sunday afternoon and a couple different Iowa Farms enjoying the WONDERFUL weather! Grandpa Tom & Grandma Jean came to celebrate Aspen's 1st Birthday, Got our family pictures done, moved to another house and spend the end of the month and the beginning of November in Florida

 

 

 

 November - In Florida we went to the beach, the fair to see the animals (only in Florida will you see sharks at a fair), saw some manatees, Rick had a conference as well as an interview. Back in Iowa, we got used to new home (it's a HUGE blessing!), got back into the routine of school, Rick went to Wisconsin for an interview and then down to North Carolina for 2 interviews, spent Thanksgiving with our DMU family, as well as enjoyed the nice warmer weather while we could.

 

 

 

 December - Z and I made his teacher's Christmas gifts (pics above), got to go to an Iowa Energy game, Rick finished off his OMM Fellowship Block, Z helped me bake some this season, drove down to Florida via North Carolina (so I could see where could live later in 2012) got a really awesome present this year a new niece!!! also got to spend some great time with the family.

 

 

 

 

Hope you liked my year in review, next post are what to come in 2012, what's Rick up to next, maybe a crafting one...who knows...

Thankful Thursday...

So it's Thursday...I'm thankful!
I know I just did the Thankful Series. So I feel like I just want to put some pictures on here of who or what I'm thankful for. :)

Happy Aspen Girl

 Ezekiel Dude

 Studious Medical Richard

Being able to create!

Hope you have a great Thursday!

A little of this & a little of that.

 So after talking to Rick and really thinking it over...we decided to not put up our little artificial tree. We are leaving for Florida in 13 days...and I want to make sure that all my stuff is put away before that. That way when I come back at the end of January I don't have to do it then. BUT I did want it to look light and colorful in the house.So lights are up and some decorations are up...it's nice when I move from an apartment to a house...I really don't have a lot of Christmas stuff yet. I do miss putting up the ornaments though. We try and get a new one every year for us as a family and then for the kids...so I still think I need to get those. ;)

With Z in school I wanted to do something special for them. SO I wanted did a search on the world wide web and pinterest for ideas...There were some that were SO cute and then some that looked like a LOT of work. So I actually saw this and thought this was AMAZING. I found it first on Pinterest. Then got directed to Martha Stewart's page HERE! I thought it was LOVELY! SO...I went to the store got buttons (Christmas colors), ribbon in Christmas colors and wiring. I just had to find; scissors, pliers, a ruler, a lighter to take care of the fraying of the ribbon, and an eager son who wanted to help.
Here are my finished products. :)

I have enjoyed making them! Z didn't make any of these actually, he just kept putting the buttons on and taking them off. All well he had fun and so did I! What are your kids making for their teachers for presents? Leave me a link or something in the comments. :)