Reflections on 2012

Wow! I can't believe 2012 is over. It seems like just yesterday we were on the beach in Florida for Spring vacation! 2012 has been a great year for our family, and we are anxiously looking forward to 2013. Here's a overview of 2012...

 

January and February were unusually warm for us. There was little to no snow, which was quite disappointing to lil man.

 

March! March brought 60-70degree days, sunshine, and lots of being outside! I can't ever remember a birthday in my life that we were able to sit outside and grill out for my day. At the end of March, we headed south for our first vacation of the year. Florida was sunny, warm, and wonderful!

 

 

 

April was beautiful and brought about a new found love for being outdoors. We spent evenings outside playing until it was too dark to see each other.

 

May brought the end of Carson's first year of Pre-K. He learned to write his name, count to 30, idenitify shapes and colors, and so much more! Daddy and mommy both got to be chaperone's on the end of the year Zoo Field Trip. It was a wonderful day, with lots of smiles and even more memories made.

 

June was a big month for me. I stayed up for 36 hours in the name of cancer research and fundraising, helped organize our annual town "Celebration", and for the first time in years, broke out the sewing machine to make Carson a costume for the "Little Mr. Firecracker" contest.

 

In July, Carson had his first camping trip! We camped out with my parents for my nephews 4th Birthday. It was fun (even if it did rain 90% of the time!).  The next weekend was Carson's 4th Birthday Party! This year he got to have a party with his friends from school. It was so fun! I had a great time making the pirate decorations and making his cupcakes and cake for the first time.

 

 

Carson also went with mommy, meme, and papa to his first Cubs game at Wrigley field! It was such a fun day and I was so happy I could be there to enjoy it with him. I was sad that daddy had to work and wasn't able to join us for the occasion.



 

In the middle of September the hubs and I went to my first Nascar race. It was quite an experience and I'm sad I wont get to go again this year. At the end of September, we attened my 10th class reunion. It was a fun afternoon with friends. I laughed too much, and took way too many pictures! Also in September, I had a very proud wife moment....My husband competed in, and finished under his goal time, his first triathlon!  I had to fight back tears when he finished the race that day. The best part of the day was my husband's 74 year old grandfather getting there just in time to see him finish. It was a great day for all of us!

 

 

 

 

October brought about new beginnings and another family vacation.  We traveled to Orlando again and had a wonderful time. We went to Cocoa Beach, Universal Studios, and saw a space rocket launch!  A few days before we left on vacation we got big news....Carson is going to be a big brother next year!  The weekend after we got back from Florida was also a new beginning for Carson. He had his first hockey practice! I never thought I'd be a hockey mom, but I actually have grown to like it.

 

November and December have been filled with our usual holiday hustle and bustle, but have been fairly low key otherwise.  Lots of doctor appointments, lots of shopping, and lots of hockey practices! 

 

2012 has been a great year, and I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for us!

Thankful for...

I've been slow in posting an update because our computer has died. Hopefully it gets fixed soon! But any how, here's my whole month of being thankful, in a nutshell :)

Family- I'm so thankful for my husband, son, and little bun in the oven. My husband has transformed into a great daddy for Carson and our newest blessing. It's not always been easy, but we make it work! I can't imagine my life without any one if them. I love beig a wife and a mommy.

Work- I'm thankful for having a job I can go to during the week, that gives me nights, weekends, and holidays off, and enables me to help my community.

Our home- it may be small and we may be outgrowing it, but it's ours. We have a roof over our heads, running water, and warmth from the cold November winds.

Today I'm thankful for: Internet

I know that this may seem a bit materialistic, I assure you, its not (well at least not completely!).  The internet enables me to see my only nephew who lives 4+ hours away, on a regular basis. It enables me to stay in touch with friends that are now far away, and other family that's not close by. Yes, it is a distraction at times. Yes, it can consume hours of our lives each day or week. But its more than that. It's a connection to friends, family, news, banking, and so much more!  It's a creative outlet for feelings. It's fuel for the artistic side (although pinterest is addicting!) I have made some good blogger friends via the internet too. 

So today, yes, I am thankful for the internet.

Today I am thankful for: Family

I've mentioned before just how great my family is for me. I seriously don't know where I would be today without the love and support of my fmaily. I have awesome parents who are always there to help, a brother and sister in law who gave me an awesome nephew, grandparents who are still here and very much helpful at times, a mother in law who can cook like no tomorrow, and a husband and son who love me unconditionally. They are the driving force to keep me going in life.


This post is part of "A Month of Thanksgiving" hosted by Hollie at Ampersand. Join in and share what you are thankful for!

October Vacation...Part 2!

After a fun day one and two, we decided to try somewhere new again on Saturday. Our adventure? Wet-n-Wild Waterpark.

Lil guy loves water parks. I think that child has no fear! He loved the tall "family" slides the most. There was one that we rode six times! Unfortunately I dont have any pictures from the park because it's hard to carry a camera or cell phone in a swimsuit.

After the waterpark, we went back to our hotel and ended up going down to the pool to swim. (I think my child is a fish!)

Sunday was our last full day in Florida, and per little mans request, we went back to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure. We enjoyed it even more that day. Lines we super short, and the weather was nice. That evening we did something super fun and once in a lifetime (at least for us Midwest dwellers). We took our son to watch a space rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center. I will post a whole other blog about this because it was amazing!

The next day, we got up had lunch and had to head back to cold Illinois :( We had a great time in Florida, and can't wait to go back as a family of four!

Here's some more pictures from the last couple days of our trip.

Don't feed me to Jaws daddy!

Pouting about having to leave the dino center

Our October Vacation...Part One

A couple weeks ago we took our son to his favorite place...Florida. We love taking him there and seeing how excited he gets when we go to new places or even favorite old places. Our first day there was a first for us all. After getting in our rental 2012 Ford Mustang Convertible, we went to Universal Studios Orlando.  The lines were short and C could ride almost everything there! He loved it. He was super excited and surprised whenever we rounded the first corner at the park and found Diego, Dora, Boots, and the Bobos Brothers dancing in the street!

The next day, we headed down to our favorite spot for sun, sand, and water, Cocoa Beach! We visited Ron Jon Surf Shop, Cocoa Beach Surf Company, and headed to the sand. Carson loved splashing in the waves and digging in the sand making sand castles. We also wrote a message in the sand to share our news of a new family addition :) The weather was beautiful and we all had a great time at the beach.

Here's some pictures of our first 2 days in Florida :)

Meeting Diego!

He loved the Jurassic Park Dino Discovery Center.



Laying in the waves :)



Mommy & daddy at the beach!

Our annoucement :)

 Stay tuned for part 2 next week!

*Wordless Wednesday*

Paradise! Isla Pasion, Cozumel

My 10th Class Reunion

A few weeks ago I attended (hosted actually) my 10th class reunion. I should start by telling you that I went to a small school. My graduating class was 72. Crazy, I know.

Anyways, I had a great time just catching up with some of my classmates and watching our kids play together at the park. The weather was great, the grilling was good, and the company even better! I even brought our year books from 1st grade through Senior year. It was blast looking back at all those memories with my friends

Here's some pics from the afternoon.

Everyone that was there. (sorry its so far away)

Discussing yearbooks, and fun memories!

C and his friend J. They played so well together for having just met!

Can't believe it's 10 years. Everyone there wanted to do it again at 15! Dont know if I'm up for planning that one too.

Friday Free For All!

Gram- My grandma is doing good and is back at a nursing home for rehab. I think she has 9 lives! She's a fighter that is for sure.

My boys- The hubs had 5 teeth pulled Friday and ended up with a dry socket :( he had it packed today. Hopefully he can still get his spacers for his braces next week! Cman has been battling a darn cold or sinus infection. He sounds terrible, but is super snuggly at bedtime :)

Work- Has been so crazy with flu clinics! Get your flu shots people! Vaccines save lives!

Pregnancy- Well, Morning sickness has found me this week. I've been miserable more days than not since Sunday. It was like a switch flipped and morning sickness went from 0 to 100 over night. Still trying to find a remedy that helps. I had my first legit craving this week too....chicken nuggests. No lie, I had to drop what I was doing and go get chicken nuggets in the middle of my day! haha! (By the way, if you missed the announcement of our new addition, you can see it here.

Weekend- This weekend is the first weekend we aren't crazy busy since Labor day! Just a birthday party and football game tomorrow night, hockey Saturday, and again Sunday. I think we can handle that!


Hope you all have a great weekend!

Officially a "hockey mom"

As of last weekend, I am officially a "hockey mom". Cman started hockey last week. To my surprise, he is doing great learning to skate. Saturday he skated with the coaches and a "walker" (an A-frame type metal thing). I was sure he wouldn't do it, but he proved me wrong. He had a great time. Sunday, he got his official jersey. He looks so cute grown up in his hockey gear. Daddy even went on the ice with him on Sunday and got him to leave the walker behind a couple of times! I can't believe my sweet little four year old is a hockey player!

He's so excited to go to hockey every weekend *even if it means we have to leave the house at 7am on Saturdays*.

Wordless Wednesday

Quick Update!

Things will be pretty quiet around here for a few days....We are taking our son on a vacation to Florida!

I will post about the trip when I return next week!

Have a good weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Everyday Blessings

There are people and things that happen around us every day that we look over, take for granted. Things we may walk by, people we see, things that occur every day of our lives.

In light of the recent events in our family, I've decided to open up a little bit and share with you some of my "Everyday Blessings".

#1 Family

Let me start by saying, I have been very blessed that I have a great husband, a wonderful son, incredible parents, and have had my grandparents in my life for 28 years. Of 5 grandparents, I have 3 still with me on this Earth. I grew up knowing 2 of my great grandparents until I was a teen. My son is blessed that he has 4 very loving Grandparents in his life, as well as 4 Great Grandparents. Often I take for granted that they will always be here. The past couple weeks have been a reminder that all that can change...and change quickly.  My paternal grandmother is very ill. She's been fighting an uphill battle for the last 10 days now. In the past year, we have almost lost my grandmother, and my husband's only living grandparent, his grandfather. My husband has pulled together to be my rock more than he knows lately. I would be lost without him. A family member that is gravely ill is a stark reminder that family should not be taken for granted. Family should always be priority number one.

#2 Friends

You may not think of friends as a blessing. In fact, you may occasionally find them to be a nuisance. To me however, friends truly are a blessing.I may not have a lot of friends, but the ones I have rock! I may not talk to  my friends everyday, but I know they are always there for me. I can call them up when I'm down, and even if we haven't spoke in weeks or months, we can pick up right where we left off like it was just yesterday. Without good friends, life would suck.

#3 A Steady Job

People often complain about their jobs and talk about how they should quit. In the state of the current economy, just having a job is something to be proud of.  My husband's company is currently experiencing layoffs. We've survived this before, and will survive it again. He *hopefully* won't be effected by it. I am fortunate that I have a profession that is always needed. People always need nurses. I am thankful for the fact that I have a job that I love. Even when I have a bad day, having a steady paycheck, and a job that I can go to day in, day out, is a blessing.

#4 Small Town Life

My husband and I were born and raised in a small town. My son was born and raised in a small town. Sure everyone may know your business, but when things get rough, small towns pull together. Anytime someone has a critical illness or accident, the community pulls together to raise money for bills, bring food to the family, etc. I know that if anything ever happens to my family, my town has my back.



These are a few things that I consider "everyday blessings". Simple things that we often take for granted or overlook, but in the grand scheme of things, sometimes the simple things or the little things really are the big things, the blessings in disguise.

Friday Free for All!

Today is Homecoming at my old high school. I've been out for 10 years....doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was getting ready to ride in the parade, decorating the float, and preparing to dance at the big game. I will have to get pics of the parade for you all for next week!

Life- This week has been rough :( I hurt my back at work (not sure how!) on Tuesday and had to take Wednesday and Thursday off. I spent the afternoon on Wednesday in the ER trying to get relief...no such luck :(

C Dude- Yesterday was his picture day at school Dang those school photos are expensive! Despite that, of course I had to order some. I sure hope they are as good as last years...

Gram- My gram is in the hospital again. She had her colostomy reversed and her bowel put back together last Tuesday. She was supposed to be out of the hospital by Monday. Yesterday she had to have an emergency surgery to fix her bowel. It perforated where they had put it back together :( She now has an ileostoomy, and is on a ventilator. Hoping to get her off the vent today and back to health really soon! She's been through so much in the last 10 months.
Weekend plans- It's my 10 year class reunion!!!! A family friendly picnic at the park next to our old school  Can't wait to see old friends! Then on Sunday, we have to pack for our trip to the sunshine state next week! YAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Throwback Thursday!

Here's a picture of me in show choir during my junior year of high school in 2000-2001. I am the one on the left end of the 3rd row.  Lots of fun memories with these girls! I was in show choir for 5 years. Lots of trips, lots of practices, lots of shopping, and lots of laughs.

*Almost* Wordless Wednesday

~We will be here again in 8 days! NASCAR Cafe Universal Studios ~

Wish I could do that...

      This past Sunday my husband Chris competed in his very first triathlon. It was cold, and windy, but we both survived. I was so proud of him for setting this goal weeks ago, and actually staying committed to accomplishing it. He did accomplish it! In fact he finished the 300meter swim, 14.5 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run in less than the time he had set forth as his goal. His goal was 1hr 45min. He did it in 1hr, 38min, 1sec.

     When he climbed out of that 80 degree pool into the 37 degree air, I knew it was his best swim time ever. It brought tears to my eyes seeing him finish the first portion of the triathlon. He did an awesome job on the bike ride, which we figured he would since he cycles 20-30 miles most nights of the week. His 5k (3.1mile) run was what I was worried about. How can you run after doing those other two things?!?

He crossed that finish line so strong. I nearly came apart when he finished. I was so proud of him for doing it. (I already knew approx what his time would be due to the wonders of camera time stamp). His grandpa, who hasn't been in good health lately made it just in time to see him cross that finish line. He beamed with pride that day. This is probably the best moment in his grandchildren's sports endeavors.

Here's him starting stage 2 (the ride), and when he crossed the finish line :)

So this got me thinking...I wish I could do that! I want to do this with him......Sooooo my current goal in life is to run a 5k on October 20th in my hometown.  I want to share in his love of exercise (it couldn't hurt me to run) and catch up to his weight loss he's achieved through training for his goals.

Wordless Wednesday

3 years ago today...First trip to The Great Pumpkin Patch!



My First Nascar Race...Take Two!

Last September my husband decided to go to our first NASCAR race. We were so excited to go see the top drivers. The day we were supposed to go to the race, we woke up to rain. We drove 3 hours to the track, it rained all day, and the race ended up cancelled until the next day :(

That was not the case this year! Here's some pictures from the fun day we had last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

My Favorite Driver...Danica Patrick! She started 42nd, finished 25th.

Start of the race

Brad Keselowski, #2, Doing his post-win celebration!

It was a fun time. Just my husband, me, and 70,000+ crazy NASCAR fans (oh,and my brother in law). We tailgated. We walked through Champions Park. We got lots of freebies. But most of all, we had a fun time and got a nice sunburn :)

I'm being featured!!!!!!!!!

We've all been there.

We've seen something on the internet or read it in a magazine and wanted to try it out ourself. Then we tried it and it was an epic fail.

Lucky for us, there's a new blog about life's little adventures in cooking or beauty or home DIY projects that didn't quite turn out as planned.  I am so excited about it!  This is a blog that everyone can love and enjoy the humor of other people's "Glamour Oops".

Head on over and check out my own Glamour Oops that is being featured there today!

Where were you when...

     As any American knows, today is a day that forever changed our nation. 11 years ago today, our nation was attacked by terrorists. We will never understand why it happened or what was going through their minds that fateful day.

     As I prepare for my 10 year class reunion, I think back to my senior year of high school. Immediately I think about homecoming week and how our lives were changed that year.  It wasn't just because we were graduating, but because of 9/11.

      I remember walking into the school that Tuesday, filled with excitement for homecoming activities. We were building our float for the parade on Friday, decorating the school, and planning the fun for the student car parade in 2 days. I had been out running an errand for our service learning teacher, and walked back in to an eerily somber room. I can still remember sitting on top of the desk watching the replay of the first plane striking the first tower. We were glued to the television for the rest of the day. Every classroom had the TV on, we weren't expected to learn that day or even really pay attention to our teachers. We were watching history unfold before our eyes. We watched every event of that day as it happened. I remember the 2nd plane hitting the WTC. I remember watching the towers fall, watching people jump to their death.

     There we were in a week that was supposed to be one of the most fun and memorable times of our senior year, yet the halls weren't filled with excitement. The halls were silent....dead silent.

11 years later, I can still remember that day like it was yesterday. How about you? Where were you when the nation stopped moving that day?

Crockpot Cookin'

With my crazy schedule lately for "Back To School Immunization Clinics", it's been hard to cook I've been too lazy to want to cook supper at night. My solution? My crock pot!

I decided to try out a new bbq chicken recipe I found on the How Sweet It Is blog. Oh.My.Gosh it was delicious!  I modified this recipe found here, and it turned out great!



Not my chicken. Source

I left out the smoked paprika ( I don't own that, lol), and used a hazelnut infused beer from hubs favorite brewery. I also didn't measure anything at all. I do a lot of my cooking that way! I just eyeball stuff :)

At any rate, it turned out incredibly delicious and was ready to eat when I got home from work that night! I love the blog I found this on, and can't wait to try out more of her recipes.

Out of the mouth of Cman...

Being the mom of a 4 year old, I never know what is going to come out of his mouth. I'm sure some of you can relate to that!

Lately he's been telling people that he's getting a baby brother AND a baby sister. This is news to me! But what he wants he gets, so he's probably not too far off with that one. *wink* *wink*

Some of my favorite, funny, and odd things he says, and my favorite recent conversation with him are as follows:

C: Mom do you know Kylan's mom?
Me: Yes honey, she's a nurse for a heart doctor.
C: So does she use one of those pumperscopes too?
Me: A what?
C: You know to check your heart, a pumpherscope. (By this point he's mimicing taking blood pressure on his arm)
Me: Oh you mean a stethoscope and taking blood pressure to check your heart? Yes she does.

--------------------------------------------
---Actually.... (usually followed by something funny or sarcastic, but that he thinks is serious)
---Well, that's not good (about ANYTHING that he's unsure of or doesn't know what to say about, even if it is a good thing)
---Whatsay?
---Whatcha doooin'?
---Mom, there's boobs! Do you need some new ones? (whenever he sees bras in the store)
---Mom, are ya poopin'? You poop a lot. (every time I sit down to use the toilet in the store, even if it's just to pee!)

Blog Star! Hi I'm Becky!

Welcome fellow Blog Star Blog Hoppers!

I'm here linking up with Mrs. Monologues again to meet new blogger friends, and find new blogs to love!

Here's what you should know about me...

1) I've been happily married to my husband for 6 years. We've been together for almost 10 years!
2) I am the proud mother of a very goofy 4 year old little boy!
3) I L-O-V-E Diet Dr. Pepper....must have one every morning.
4) I've been a nurse for 5 years, and wouldn't trade it for the world.
5) My family is currently doing the paleo (caveman) diet. Fruit is a big part of our lives right now.


There's the highlights about me. If you'd like to know more, here are some of my previous blog star posts.

All about Me!
A-Z about me!
Who am I?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you will stay to follow the story of our lives here in the midwest.

Happy Labor Day!

Today is Labor Day. A day for all the hardworking people, who keep our nation going, to have a day off. We are taking our son to spend the day with his grandparents. My FIL is in the IBEW Union. They have a huge family picnic every year that our son gets to go to. This means date day for mommy and daddy :) Hope you are enjoying your extended weekend!

5 more weeks!

In 5 weeks this Cornfed Family will be on the sunny beaches of Florida! Here's some fun pics from our last trip in April.


Cocoa Beach



NASCAR Cafe

Shamu show @ Seaworld



Mommy & Daddy @ Boardwalk Disney



It's Friday!

Have a great weekend!

Lists, Lists, and more lists!



Source: MS Clip Art



Ok, I have a confession to make....I have an obsession with writing lists. I write them all the time. I don't always use them, yet I write them. Crazy, I know!

Here's *another* list, of the top things I make lists for:

1) Travel- I always list exactly everything that needs packed and which bag it goes into. I also write a list of things that must be done before leaving for whatever destination I will be visiting. Then I write a list of what I want to do while gone. Often the last list I mentioned is written while travelling or once at our destination.

2) Grocery Lists - Yes I make a list out, but 95% of the time, I forget it at home or never take it out of my purse if it does make it to the store with me.

3) Work Tasks - I make lists for meetings, deadlines, things to tell my boss, things to do, etc. I write most of my lists at work.

4) Dates - I don't use a planner. I own 2 of them, but don't use them. Instead, I make lists of important dates to remember that are coming up, and keep them taped to my desk, computer, or in my purse.

How about you? What do you make lists for?

*Almost* Wordless Wednesday

Silence with a 4 year old in the house is never good.....

This is what I found when I got done doing dishes...no wonder he was so quiet in his room!

Blog Star: Hi I'm Becky!

Hello everyone!  I'm Becky, a midwest born and raised wife and mommy. I've been with my husband, Chris for 10 years, and happily married to him for the last 6 of those years.  Together we have a wonderful, over-active 4 year old boy, whom you can learn more about here.  We live in the middle of Illinois, surrounded by corn and bean fields.---Seriously, I only have to go 2-3 blocks from our house to find a cornfield.

In this house, we love the Chicago Cubs, but most importantly, we love THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS! I can't wait to be a hockey mom in 2 months!

Here are some more posts about me from previous "Blog Star" link ups!

June Blog Star
July Blog Star...A-Z of me!

This blog is my way to share stories of our lives here in the midwest with others out there around the world. I share things about our son, my work as a nurse, my adventures in parenting, cooking, dieting, and getting back into crafting (soon I hope!). There will also be stories of our psychotic Himalayan cat, Sassy, who thinks she runs the house, and our Weagle doggy, Daisy.

Mother of a boy...

Ok, my son may only be 4 but in these 4 brief years I have been his mother, these are the top 10 things I have learned so far....

1) The cat is much more fun to play with when you drag her by her tail.

2)  Matchbox cars can and will stay in the pocket of a little boy as they go through the washer.

3) If you hear silence, always, ALWAYS, go see what your son is doing.

4) Plastic army men melt in the dishwasher.

5) Always check the bed for cars, trains, and action figures before laying down.

6) Play-Doh can and will be put into any opening available to your child.

7) Clothing is optional. Especially after a bath.

8) As long as I can't see you, you can't see me when I pee outside.

9) You can NEVER have too many boats and cars in the bathtub.

10) Legos, cars, and trains never hurt as bad when you step on them as when you step on one at 1:00 in the morning!


What else can you think of?

It's Hot, Bob!

Ok we are on day number "I-don't-even-know-I've-lost-track" of temps over 90 degrees. We haven't had a good, measurable rain in 3 weeks, and the last one before that was...well, I can't even remember when!

Our state is in a terrible drought. Crops are dying. Leaves are falling off trees as if it were Autumn. In fact, 98 of 102 counties in the state were declared "disaster areas" this week. Temps at or above 85-90 degrees nearly every day since May, little to no rain (less than 1 inch since May/June), and no end in sight.

It's not pretty! Our yard is brown and hasn't needed mowed in almost 2 months! I really think the AC has ran non stop at our house since Memorial Day.

In the words of the local car dealership commercial....It's Hot, Bob!

Go Cubs Go!

Saturday was a very special day for our little man. He got to take his first trip to a Chicago Cubs game! It's like a rite of passage in my family. For as long as I can remember, my dad has been a die hard Cubs fan. He grew up in the Chicago area, so naturally he loves all Chicago teams. We live right in the middle of the state...2.5 hours from St. Louis and the Cardinals, and 3 hours from Chicago and the Cubs (or White Sox *yuck*). No way would we be Cardinal fans! I can still remember going to a game almost every summer when I was growing up. It was a special treat and was so fun! So what better for a lil man's first Cubs game than a Cubs vs. Cardinals game?!  Papa and MeMe took us to the game since daddy had to work all weekend again :( Despite the heat, we had a ball, and lil man even enjoyed the game. It was even better that the Cubs won and beat those "stinky cardinals" as C calls them. C even sang the traditional win song, "Go Cubs Go"at the end. To top off his day, he got to go to the each on Lake Michigan and play in the waves! Here's some photos from what little Cdude was calling "the best day ever".

Welcome to "the Friendly Confines" of Wrigley Field!

Yes that's nachos...in a helmet!

Peanut (shell) finger will get you!

After 5 attempts, and him being a jokester, this is the best I could get :-P

Catch me waves!