October 27, 2011

The Punkin Patch

We took the boys to the pumpkin patch tonight! Tyler was so incredibly excited. Mommy kinda sorta made the mistake of mentioning our visit to the pumpkin patch before Tyler's afternoon nap. Oops. You think I would know better by now!

It was fun to compare pictures at the pumpkin patch from this year and last year.

Tyler 2010
Tyler 2011


Tyler & Zach 2010

Tyler & Zach 2011














This week has been a tough one for our family. My precious Mother-In-Law has been in the ICU and had to have emergency surgery, etc.  I have been so heavy hearted just thinking of all the suffering she has endured not only from this hospital stay, but in the last 10-15 years of her life. She is an incredible woman that I only wish I could emulate. I feel so blessed that I have the privelege to be her Daughter-In-Law.

October 18, 2011

Treasures A LA Yard Sale!

This weekend I once again went out  yard saling with my trusty companions and later in the morning an unsweetened (with 8 packets of splenda, please) McDonald's tea. Isn't life grand? :) It was quite the morning and we spent 3 hours, I repeat 3 hours, in one community for their community wide yard sale. Wohoo! We found some lovely little treasures, and loaded the vehicle down! I thought it would be fun to share some of my finds with you!
First up is two 1969 "growing hair" ideal toys Crissy dolls. I paid $15.00 for both, the lady was originally asking $30.00 so I was happy with that price. I already have them listed on ebay...I'm just not sure how they will do...we shall see. I also bought a talking Buzz lightyear doll, playskool ball popper toy (although I didn't list the actual toy just four out of the five  balls that came with it for replacement balls they sell fairly well on ebay ) and I bought a few other toys to sell.
I also bought some shirts and jeans for my little guys. The Ralph Lauren shirt and Old Navy jeans were each 25 cents.  Although they are both size 6, which is a couple sizes to big for Tyler, for that price I will set them back! I found a couple Vineyard Vines polos and a Ralph Lauren pair of jeans that will fit Tyler this winter/next spring. I also found a Penn State onesie for Zach for 1.00. Did you hear that Pappy Slagenweit~ Penn State? I also found a couple pair of pajamas that aren't pictured for Tyler for this winter/next spring.
I also found a beautiful black and white smocked new with tags dress that I'm storing away for my someday bin. I splurged and paid $10.00 for the dress. I attempted to get it for a lower price, but it didn't happen. I don't blame the lady since the price tag on it was for $148.00 dollars. Yikes. 
My favorite find of the day, I do believe, was this rocking horse that I scored for $2.00. It has found a home in the nursery, and I can't wait until Christmas since I'm already envisioning Christmas pictures with my new friend. At the same yard sale I picked up a Dr. Seuss Yertle The Turtle book for 25 cents. I had been wanting to buy this book for Tyler's room, but didn't want to pay full price for it! I firmly believe that God cares about even the tiniest desires of our heart!
I also got a folding round table that needs a little TLC on one of its legs, but hey, for only $1.00 I'm sure Hubby can figure it out! I also picked up this old army trunk for $2.50 at an Estate sale. I have plans to paint it, or should I say I have plans for hubby to paint it, and I want to use it as a night stand in Ty's room. The funny story behind this trunk was I saw the price tag of $5.00, and told them I would buy it, and then they said everything was 1/2 price in the garage, which made the deal even sweeter. Anywho, my best buddy and I were walking around the house looking at items that were incredibly expensive, and she told me she thought the trunk was $500 and not $5.00. I about fainted dead away since I had already told the nice fellow that I would buy it.... I decided I would quickly unbuy it for that price. I went back and talked to said nice fellow, and thankfully, it really was only $2.50. Shew.
I picked up this decorative bird feeder for $1.00. It hasn't found a home yet, but I'm sure it will soon.

Just for fun, I thought I would throw in a picture of Zachy sporting his jacket Mama, my Mom, found at the Goodwill for $1.79. The 50's Banquet/ Fundraiser for our youth group is coming up in a few more weeks, and I wanted a jacket similar to this for the boys to wear. Now I just need to find one for Tyler and I'm all set. :)
I'm linking up to Coupon Tipster and Apron Thrift Girl.

October 17, 2011

Ring Around the Rosies~ Tyler Style

I love to watch these two interact. I especially love when one of them gets tickled and the other joins in heartily!

Tyler was supposed to be napping, and he came out to the dining room where I am trying my very best to get a needle threaded. ( I do believe that they are making thread thicker--it has nothing to do with my poor vision.) Tyler asks me what I'm doing and I explain the whole process to him. He looks at me, gives me a thumbs up and says, "Good boy, Mom". ha. Another favorite saying of his recently has been, "Just be a good sport, Mom". I have no idea where he has heard that phrase.

Back to trying to get my needle threaded....wish me luck!

The "Man" WIth The Yellow Hat.

Maybe this would be better titled, "The Monkey who stole the Yellow Hat". A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So, today will be my thousand word day in pictures.



 The true owner of the yellow hat, Mr. Paddington Bear.
 
This past week was quite busy, and then this week-end Hubby went to paint ball retreat. He managed to secure two welts~ its a rite of passage I hear. I have to share with you a  poem written by our friend, Nate Becker, aimed at my dear Husband.

 AN ODE THE MY VEST

I am Jay and I'm the Best.
That's because I wear a Vest.
To protect me front and back.
... From a vicious paint ball attack.
I wear a vest though thought "un-cool"
I wear a vest because I'm not a fool.
I'll wear my vest out to the Land.
I'll wear a vest wherever I can.
If I can wear it while we eat...
I'll even wear it in my sleep.
I'll put it on while on the Bus.
For wearing a vest is a must.
While paintballs hurt all the rest.
I'll be safe here in my vest.
The sting! The zing! The SNAP! The Pow!
I can almost feel those paintballs now.
Oh wait I can't! I must protest!
It must be these 3 sweatshirts and this leather vest.
My VEST My VEST! It's saved the day!
My vest is BEST I have to say!
Could anything be better? - now let me think...
OH YES OH YES!!! - If my Vest was PINK!

- Written by Nathan Becker on the eve of the Fall Paintball Retreat! " See you out there Pastor Jay!
The retort:

AN ODE ABOUT THE PINK VEST

I DO NOT LIKE PINK VESTS I SAY,
BUT NATE BECKER WEARS ONE EVERY DAY!
I WILL NOT WEAR ONE HERE OR THERE.
... I WILL NOT WEAR ONE ANYWHERE.
I DO NOT LIKE PINK VESTS I SAY.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM ANY DAY.

I DO NOT LIKE PINK VESTS- ITS TRUE
WOULD I EVER LIE TO YOU?
I WOULD NOT WEAR IT WITH A FOX
I WOULD NOT WEAR IT IN A BOX.
I DO NOT LIKE PINK VESTS YOU SEE.
THE COLOR JUST ISN'T RIGHT FOR ME.

NATE BECKER LOVES PINK VESTS I'M TOLD
AND WON'T PART WITH HIS TIL HE IS OLD.
BUT WHAT HE LOVES MORE THAN A VEST OF PINK
IS HIS SECURITY BLANKET MADE OF A SOFT MINK.
POOR LIL NATE, WHAT ARE WE TO SAY...
OUT AT PAINT BALL RETREAT, YOU WILL GET YOUR PAY.

Written by Jay Slagenweit's Assistant on the eve of the falll paint ball retreat. See you out there, Nathan Becker
 
And, of course, I can't leave without one Tyler story. Excuse me if its too much information, but I want to preserve this little memory:). Yesterday Tyler was having a little issue with going to the bathroom, okay, so truthfully it was a BIG issue. He likes his privacy, and so we would check on him periodically. One time that we checked on him he said, "I prayed to God for Him to take the poopie away". ha. I love that kid:)

October 8, 2011

A Snippet From Our Saturday.

Tyler has been memorizing a new verse. Ephesians 6:1. May he take it to heart.
 Zach has Roseola (or however you spell it) and approximately 36 hours ago broke out in a rash all over his body. Benadryl and Motrin are his best buddies right now, and I think I just heard him sing out, "I Will Survive". Here is a picture of him, and yes, he is attempting to eat his lotion. My kids have both loved eating lotion.  Every time I lube Zach up after his bath he tries to find little specks of it to consume.  Silly boy.  Who knows, maybe he is greasing his insides for better digestion. ha.

 So, my picture is horrible, but you can see it a little bit. It is the worst on his back, and then his tummy, face, arms and legs. Poor little guy. Honestly, I am a Nervous Nellie when my boys are sick. My nursing skills float to the back of my brain, and I worry, worry, worry. For example, I called the on call Pediatrician today explained Zach's symptoms, told her what I thought his diagnosis was and why I thought he had Roseola. She agreed with me and told me to give him Benadryl. So you see, even if I can figure out what ails my children....I still have to double check. It gives me peace of mind. :)

October 5, 2011

Pray Like A Child!

My husband typically does the honors of putting Tyler to bed at night, reading him a story book, a Bible story and then saying prayers. Its their ritual, and it gives Jonathan a bit more time to spend with Tyler. I love getting an opportunity to put Tyler to bed, and listen to all the things he wants to pray about. Tonight we said the "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer together, but then we had to say a "real" prayer. Mama, Papa, Pappy, Grandma are at the top of the list, then he requested to pray for his brother and the special baby. I asked him who his special baby was, and he said Uncle David and Aunt April's baby. :) He wanted to pray for all of his cousins, and so on and so forth. I got tickled when he requested to pray for Mavis. Mavis? My train. Why do we need to pray for Mavis? So that she will help the other trains. We prayed for quite a few other trains before the prayer time was over, and I believe we even prayed for the train tracks.

I walked away from Tyler's room tonight feeling very convicted. I felt God nudge my heart and whisper, That is how I long for you to pray. Tyler's prayers are so full of faith and he has such an incredible trust. The story I read Tyler tonight was about a friend that never leaves us. I asked him who he thought that friend was and without hesitation he replied, "God". I sit here thinking about my wonderful friend, and how often I forget to truly commune with Him. God has been dealing with me so strongly recently about how I need to pray believing that He will answer my prayers, and bringing all my needs before Him. I love the fact that Tyler prays for his trains. They are important to him so he believes that they must be important to God. I pray that God will help me to approach the throne with that same child like faith!

One of my greatest desires is to be a godly mother to my boys. I already have a bundle of regrets for how I've handled situations with the boys ( specifically Tyler) in their short little lives. I pray that God would give me an extra dose, or two or three of wisdom in dealing with these precious treasures that I have for such a short time. I was kneading bread dough the other night and began praying that God would start kneading away on my life. ( no worries, I am definitely no Betty Crocker, and I have the broken hand vessels to prove it. ha) . I have so many knots, bubbles and rough edges that need His refining touch!

 Malachi 3:3~ And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Here is a little story I found that is related to the above verse.

Malachi 3:3 "He will sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and
they wondered what this verse implied about the
character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of
refining silver and get back to the group at their next
Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made
an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't
mention anything about the reason for her interest
beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were the hottest so as to burn away all of the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that, "Yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver in the fire, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in the silver."

October 4, 2011

Falling Into October....

We have been busy, busy, busy around our house. We like busy though, and truthfully, wouldn't know what to do with ourselves if things slowed down. Although, I do have a couple of thumbs I could twiddle, and sometimes I do long for a slower pace of life so I could check out my twiddling skills.  One of our most recent endeavors is planning a 50's banquet/ fundraiser for our youth group. I'm loving it! I've already located a poodle skirt for myself on ebay, and I can't wait to grease the boys hair back (well, all of Zachy's 10 hairs, not to mention his ginormous cowlick). We have a great staff, and I love seeing the details come together!! Who knows, I might so enjoy my poodle skirt and my sort-of saddle shoes that I will never go back to "normal" clothing. Felt is itchy though, isn't it? Scratch that idea. hehe.

Zachy has known pat-a-cake for awhile now, but he has just now learned the "roll it, roll it" motions".
Tyler had a case of sympathy for my parents dog yesterday. He was worried about Cocoa and why she was so sad. My Mom told him that she liked to be petted, and so he began petting her. He stopped and commented on how bad Cocoa's breath smelled.(Cocoa truly has horrific smelling breath, my Hubby calls her the Breath of Death)  Mom explained that Cocoa was getting old, and that's why she had bad breath. Tyler said, " I have bad breath now, and I'll have it when I get old, too". Oh, the wisdom of youth!
Here is a picture of the little guy after waking up from his nap today. It always takes him a bit to wake up, and so he lays down like this after waking up in the mornings and afternoons. I love the fact that he had already picked up one of trains and had "spencer the train" laying beside him. Thanks to Tyler I now know the names of most of his trains.
Here are some fun attempts at fall photos with the boys after church Sunday morning.



October 1, 2011

A Story For Saturday.


Once upon a time, there was a small boy named Tyler. This small child decided he liked red candy~a lot! He would sneak into his Mum and Dad's room to find this most precious candy. He liked to chew it so very fast that I'm sure each of his molars are in need of repair, but what's a small tooth issue when compared with the love of candy.


His candy just so happens to be Hall's cough drops~let me clarify, cherry Halls cough drops. Tyler's Mum has been explaining to him that he cannot eat cough drops. They are solely used for adults who are ailing. Amazingly enough, Tyler has now developed the whooping cough. It seems to only arrive when he has his sights set on his cherry candy. Curious, isn't it? The Halls are finding a new home today. I'm just not sure where they will be placed.... adoption or foster care is always an option. Any takers?? haha.


Tyler loves medicine. Zach is on Amoxicillin right now for an ear infection, and I do believe Tyler might be a bit jealous that the meds aren't being shared. ha. Is my child strange, or are there other children out there that love their medicine?? He even loves it when he gets a scrape and can have the swiper (neosporin) and a bandaid. Silly boy.