From fishing to the zoo

We got really lucky Selah and I. Why you ask? Because Grandpa and Grandma L took us fishing :) My love for fishing has grown since I was little. I am not for sure why. Maybe the way it seems like you are in a world all by yourself while on the boat, or that even when you don't catch anything you still are enjoying the company of the people you are with and the nice weather...

And nice weather we had. The sun was gorgeous whether it was peaking through the trees

or shining its brightest

And this little girl had the time of her life. Borrowing grandpa's fishing hat and 'driving' the boat.

Selah was ready to go. If you look really close (ok, looking close doesn't really help) but she is holding a niblet in between her fingers. That was her job to pass them out to all of us. She got to use her princess fishing pole and is getting better at casting.

So we only caught 3 fish that day. And they were little! But Selah was glad they rode in the boat with us so she could keep a close eye on them, talk to them, and 'take care' of them she said.

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for taking us fishing!


The next day it was on to the zoo in Peoria to meet friends. It was a hot day, mostly because I thought it was supposed to be cloudy and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! We met my friends, Amy and Melissa (whom we originally met at the hospital with Laynie) and their kiddos. Here is the whole crew. Selah, Berkeley, Annie, Finn, Lily, and Matthew.

And the girls minus Lily who was fast asleep.

Check out this new little cutie! I tried to get my baby fix for the day :)

Selah loved playing with the big kids

and the little ones too :)

Although Selah looks like she could be as old as these two, she is a year younger. Our Laynie would be as old as them though...4! I love being around these kids. Makes me remember Laynie and how much I love her. I love trying to imagine what she would be like at this stage in her life if she was still here. What she would be talking about, what she would look like....

Thanks Melissa and Amy for sharing your lives with us! We love you and the kiddos so much. Can't wait till we get together again - maybe next time at a house right? :)

Our getaway

Last weekend we had our mini summer vacation. Friday morning we loaded up the car and the kiddos and headed to St. Louis. Nothing much on our agendas besides the zoo, just hoping for some quality family time and some relaxation. Selah is in the stage now where she LOVES hotels, I mean loves hotels! She can't wait to sleep at them, swim at them, and anything else that goes along with them. Nothing is as sweet as a child's pure excitement.

So we arrived at our hotel and it was kind of overcast. The kids swam for awhile and then we headed into town to go shopping at the indoor mall for a while and to a downtown resturant, The Old Spaghetti Factory. It was a great place for kids, so I highly suggest it for anyone in the area. Mostly all pasta on the menu and a balloon man came by while you were eating. Yep, great bribery to eat your food better if you are promised a flower shaped balloon in return!

Saturday morning we were a little slow going. Needless to say after praying for a weekend of relaxation, I ended up getting a virus before we left (pretty sure passed on from Finn and his runny nose). Had the worse sore throat in my life and couldn't sleep much pass 3 am, but hey this was a vacation and I was going to make the best of it! So with all the gumption I could throw together we did the morning routine in the hotel, which all of you mothers know how that goes. Packing the bags for the day, getting the kids fed, dressed, telling your hubby to get ready and then having about 20 minutes to throw yourself together before your kids have a meltdown from waiting in the hotel room for too long after being promised an hour ago we were headed to the zoo :) And out the door we went...to St. Louis Zoo

The zoo was great. No complaints there. Could have had a little cooler day, but still was not as bad as previous years. Notice the kids looking so refreshed and eager to start the day...the end pictures they start looking very sleepy. Finn did great, took a nap and no fussing. Selah even made it this day without a nap the entire time. Way too much to look at.

We felt the love and enjoyed being together with our kids watching them get excited to see things around them. Makes you see things in a totally different light when you watch them through your child's eyes. Finn is still at the age that he doesn't completely interact with the animals, but Selah is quite aware of everything going on around her and what she wants to see and do....

which is why on Saturday we went on the Carousel 3-4 times, the train 3 times, the sea lion show, and any other "production" we could think of (more on that later). And that was fine with us. Selah and Finn both loved it and we were making memories!

Here is the train - I think if I was a grandpa the job as the conductor would be what I would choose. The just drive this train around the zoo all day, hollering "all aboard!" By the time we did it a few times, Selah and Finn both had "AAAAAALLLLLLL ABOARD!" down pat along with "Choo Choo!"
Luckily on the weekends they had the sea lion show because Selah just HAD to go. She sat there all intently watching what they were doing and clapping on cue when the sea lion did his trick.
Yep, here is Finn. Jumping up and down as usual. Always on the go this boy is! But he did enjoy the show as well and did sit for a while to eat his goldfishes.

Then on to the carousel. Something Selah will be talking about for weeks. Mostly because for those of you from this area know that the mall in Bloomington used to have a carousel which she used to get to ride for being good while we shopped. Then they decided to take it down, which in my opinion was the worst marketing decision they could have made. Ever since Selah has been asking where the ponies have gone :) So, you can imagine her eyes lighting up when she saw they had a carousel.

She would carefully decide which animal she wanted to ride on each time. And then anxiously await it to start going up and down.

Although he looks like he is not enjoying it here, he really did. Just a little apprehensive at first.

Here is Selah's pony she wanted to ride with her handsome daddy of course.

The zoo had really great exhibits. They have a Penguin Walk where you can go inside and see more penguins in their "cool habitat". Great for when it is 90 degrees outside! Finn fell asleep while we were in there. Very cute these creatures are!

And they had a Children's Zoo where Selah got to have fun while Finn was sleeping.

Very hands on...

Then it was to the fountains to cool off for a while. Sorry for the blurry pic, I am telling you he is fast :)

Selah couldn't decide if she wanted to get wet or not.

Tadd also discovered a 3-D motion simulator of a rollercoaster in the zoo. He just HAD to ride on it. "I loved these as kids!" and so on. Now, as a mother of a child who is scared of monsters and every loud noise out there I was sure this was not going to go well from the start. Maybe my apprehension makes it worse, but either way, it was not going to be pretty. Tadd still protested that it would be fun and she would like it. So in we went. Finn and I to a stationary seat, which Tadd and Selah to the moving seats with the 3-D glasses. The moment she sat down I almost had to laugh because I guessed she would be screaming in a few seconds of the movie beginning. She really didn't do terribly, but yes she freaked out a couple times. Then at the end of the movie a giant ape jumps out in front of your face and she screamed. Followed by many tears. I know, bad daddy! Who would put their child through it. I am determined if she wakes up scared the next few nights, Tadd will be the one putting her back to bed. Jokes aside, she is fine. She asked to go back on the ride not more than 10 minutes later even while stating it scared her. Gotta love that kid!

That finished our Saturday at the zoo. We went back to the hotel, swam for awhile, and then ordered in pizza. Saturday night went like Friday night for me along with Selah waking up early with me so Sunday was a little rough. After a little thought I decided to go to prompt care to get some pain meds for the throat. Spray and drops weren't cutting it anymore. As much as Tadd wants to say I was a wimp, I was in pain people! And I think my pain tolerance is pretty high. When mama isn't happy, the whole family isn't happy. And remember this is supposed to be a relaxing and enjoyable trip :)

After the urgent care visit and a few drugs later we were good to go. We tried to go to Grant's Farm, but ended up changing our minds after we were told it was over an hour before we could even get in. Our plans instead?! Well, we drove towards the outlet mall and found a Red Robin on the way (one of Tadd and Selah's fav places to eat). We headed to the mall for the afternoon. It was a great day. Great shopping, both kids slept in the stroller - yep, you heard me right - both kids. By this time they were getting worn out I think! Then back to the hotel to swim.

I know, there are no pictures other than at the zoo, but between my throat pain and lack of sleep I was lucky to take any pictures. Bear with me on this next part, mostly it is for my scrapbook because it was quite memorable for me. Sunday night I was SO excited to go to sleep after being prescribed pain meds with the goods in it to help me sleep. So after swimming at 8 pm we decided we were all going to go to bed. Selah of course has other ideas. She isn't tired. "I can't sleep, mom!" "I can't close my eyes, I am not tired" (You all know the drill). So I decided to sleep in her bed with her to maybe rub her back and get her to sleep. Doesn't work. After 1 1/2 hrs. I decide to get the IPAD out and let her play around for awhile. Of course, Tadd is already fast asleep in the other bed (Yes, you all know how that goes, LOL!). Then after that we try laying down again. Most of you that know me know that I don't rock my kids to sleep, they don't sleep in our beds, we don't sleep in theirs. They are good sleepers and have always put themselves to sleep on their own. So, this night I can laugh about now. Because Selah kicks like crazy, was picking at me till she fell asleep. First she was doing my hair, then rubbing my arms, and then I lost track. I don't know what she was doing. At first I was really irritated because, hey! I wanted to sleep people! But after a while I realized that I just needed to enjoy the time God was giving me with my daughter. To snuggle and enjoy each other because these moments are not going to last forever. So instead, I prayed over her and tried to enjoy her prodding until she finally nodded off to sleep...very late after that!

Fade in...Monday morning. Like I said before, not many plans on this trip. Just to go with the flow. We decided that we would head back to the zoo because it was cheap, the kids loved it, and it was only two minutes from our hotel. On Saturday we had done lots of amusement things, so this time we decided to see more animals.

The had a great exhibit where you could pay to touch stingrays and sharks. Selah wasn't into it really, but if Finn had longer arms he would have been all over it! They were really slimey feeling.

Then we visited every animal that was there. And I forgot to take a picture, but Selah got to Build-A-Bear, or a giraffe I should say for her zoo gift. You get to pick out an outfit, shoes, fill out a birth certificate.... Selah's has a pink outfit, pink shoes, and she named her 'Giraffe'. Original I know.

It was a great family getaway in the end. Another summer has flown by. Soon we will be celebrating Selah's 3rd birthday. God continues to watch over us and bless us in ways we can't imagine! Hope you all are enjoying your littles and the end of this hot summer!

The Children's Home - PS Complete!

My first project as Project Sunshine Coordinator for The Forgotten Initiative is complete! Most of all I cannot say enough how grateful I am for all the volunteers, donations, and prayers we had for this project. It would not have been possible without all of your help!

Here are the before pictures. There are two separate rooms, a family style room and a nursery style room. These rooms are used for family visiting rooms when foster children get to visit with their biological siblings and when children are brought in to get placed with foster families, this is where they wait and play. We pray that these rooms can be a source of comfort and security for these children during a very frightening time in their lives.

The family room before: white walls, broken toys, no window treatments, worn down furniture...



This is the nursery room before: white walls, no window treatments, worn down toys...



Through the help of volunteers we got furniture donated (Martin Furniture) as well as help assembling boughten furniture, walls painted, rooms cleaned, and closets organized. Over 25 volunteers worked together throughout this project.


The finished project. Presenting the family room!





And the nursery!



We also had a toy/diaper drive for the Children's Home where we got most of the toys seen in the pictures as well as diapers/wipes to stock their closets with. The children will be so excited!

And we couldn't have done it without the help of these two wonderful designers - Amber Reatherford and Teresa Nelson! Thanks girls! It was great working with you!


God has blessed me greatly from being involved in this project. Even though we were all quite exhausted by the end of the week, I am so renewed and excited to begin our next Project Sunshine. The need for these makeovers are incredible in our surrounding foster care agencies. And hearing the kids' stories that will get to experience the rooms makes it all worth it. One child who was nearby as the project was being completed asked if they could be picked up Monday so that they could be the first to play in the new room! Priceless! God is great and worthy of honor and praise! If you are interested in helping with a future Project Sunshine - Please email me at jill@theforgotteninitiative.org or visit The Forgotten Intiative at www.theforgotteninitiative.org or on facebook and learn of our upcoming needs. There are many initiatives and ways to serve the forgotten in our foster care community!

A little bit of Joy for your day!

Beyond over due...

Oh my, I think this takes the cake for being the longest I have gone without posting. It reminds me of how behind I am scrapbooking. You know it is bad when you stop taking pictures because it just reminds you that you are going to have to scrapbook them later! Life has been a little hectic around here. The summer seems to be flying by as usual although I really do think it goes a little faster every year. So this post will be a flashback of the last two months because if you saw the number of pictures I took, it would take 5 posts to get them all in!

The summer started out with getting the boat out. We don't quite do it as much as we used to...the stage of life is what I keep blaming it on. I just can't help out Tadd much with the boat when I have my arms full with two squirmy kiddos. BUT, it is still great for the memories. I just need a long nap afterwards! And yes, Finn is in Selah's old pink life jacket - you can blame Tadd for that one :) To say that Finn loves sitting in the driver's seat is an understatement. It's a challenge every time deciding at what point we are going to pry his arms off of the steering wheel. Selah loves getting in to swim and watching daddy ski too. Although it will be another year until Selah is allowed to ski...don't ask, it is a sore subject. LOL!

And yes, if you stay out long enough you might be lucky enough to catch just a glimpse of me and the air chair....I still got it! Although I can't do anything even close to what my hubby can! No flips for this girl, no high jumps. It thrills me just to know that I can get up and keep my balance :)

We have been spending time with cousins at the zoo. The kids love being with Addy and Brooks.

Love this pictures of Addy and Finn. He looks so smitten with his cousin :) The bottom left picture is when they discovered a chipmunk. I know, so much more exciting than the zoo animals. Kept them excited/entertained for at least 10 minutes until we told them we had to keep moving!

Then we got the pleasure of hosting Tadd's cousin Jon and his wife Amy for a long weekend along with their adorable girls Jada and Adia. Selah and Finn were thrilled to have visitors and extra playmates.

While the men went skiing, the women stayed at home with the kiddos, swimming and playing outside. Taking a walk together, Finn LOVED the wagon.

And yes, there was a lot of drama in the household :) This picture will always make me laugh. You know how it goes, when the adults have this great idea to take pictures at the end of the day when the kids are beyond exhausted and we are all yelling and jumping in the air to get them to smile. Yep, that was this moment. The girls had enough and Selah looks completely dazed.

But not to be out done. Finn ate plenty of mulch and mud that weekend along with getting into anything and everything he could. My little man! Love it!

Fourth of July weekend was jam packed with fun. Started off with fireworks in Peoria with Tim, Jessie, and their girls. Let's see to sum up the night. Dinner was great because we were in the air conditioning :) The fireworks were a little congested and VERY sticky. Entertaining Finn for 2 hours before fireworks start is always interesting. But, it was great memories and who knows, maybe we will do it again next year.... Yeah, we are crazy like that. Then we had the local parade. Selah was so excited because now she is old enough to remember that parades mean candy, so she was all about it. Once again, scorching hot but fun. We got to sit at my brother's house and the little man in the middle picture is my ever so cute nephew Colt. What a stud!

In the evening we ate at Tadd's sister's house...marvelous food. Then we were thinking of heading home since we had already watched fireworks the previous night, but you know when the whole family is there you have to stay and join in the fun! So across the street to my brother's house and we all sat to enjoy another evening of fireworks. Joking aside, I felt very blessed that weekend to be spending time with family and friends.


Whew! I think I am almost caught up now. August will be here soon enough and then fall. Selah will be three in less than 3 months. How is that possible! Cake ideas anyone? Hope you are all enjoying your summer as well.