Fifteen through Twenty One

I guess Monday is my catch up day. I haven't posted in a week!

# 15 - Coffee

I've started drinking coffee this past week and it's amazing what it does to wake me up in the morning... I wonder if I could give it to Dave? He definitely has his mom's (and dad) morning personality.

# 16 - Brotherly Love

Jeremy and I got lucky. Dave does not, for the most part, get jealous of the attention Dillon gets. And Dillon is usually so patient with us when Dave needs something. I know they will argue and fight sooner than later but I'm so happy they already have the foundation of brotherly love that they have.

# 17 - Broke not Wealthy

This is going to sound kinda crazy... I'm glad we are "average" in the terms of income. We are lucky to have a nice house, that we can keep warm, in a town we enjoy living in. We can afford groceries and, although not expensive, Christmas presents. Not only am I thankful that we can provide the necessities to our family... I'm glad we aren't overly wealthy. Our boys are going to grow up the way we did... working for what we wanted. Jeremy and I both worked in high school and paid for our own cars. Our parents may have given us spending money every once in a while but we learned to spend our money wisely because it was "our" hard earned money. I'm glad our boys will be raised this way. I am glad that we don't have an overabundance of funds because I would find it hard not to give it to the boys all the time when they wanted... Jeremy on the other hand - would probably stop me - but I'm glad we don't have that to worry about!

Maybe I'm crazy!?! Who is happy to be broke? :)

# 18 - DVR

Sad to say but the DVR might be the best invention ever made. I can still watch my shows even during football season! Sometimes those shows are at 2:00 on a Saturday during the boys' nap but at least it's out there ready for my viewing pleasure!

# 19 - George

I'm thankful that King George is going on tour again and Jeremy and I have tickets! We are going to have a blast and I'm glad this is something we can agree to spend our money on... even though I told my friend Katie that 1 ticket costs about 6 boxes of diapers... the cheap kind at least!

# 20 - Friends

I've already been thankful for my friends once this month but... it's just nice to have people who know you and know what to say to make your day easier and better. My friend Rachel always knows what to say to me. It's funny - I could have a conversation with Jeremy and the same conversation with Rachel. She'll tell me the same thing he does - but it's better received because it's her. :)

I also had a friend, Lyndse, that brought me a fun treat today. Dove Peppermint Bark. Oh wow. If you haven't had it... you need to. It's amazing. She knows that Dove dark chocolate is a weakness and I love peppermint bark. Her gift today made my day... for some reason she knew that was just what I needed.

Twelve, Thirteen, & Fourteen

I definately have much to be thankful for... but... this posting every day is obviously a little difficult for me!

#12 Bella Boo

Bella is our first child... our fur child some may say. I have to admit that I sometimes let Bell fly under my love radar and when I'm all caught up in what the boys are doing but she is a great dog. Bella is the most sensitive, loving and cuddly little weiner dog someone could hope for. She sleeps with Jeremy and I each night and is our little heater in the winter! We are lucky to have such a sweetie who will be four in less than a month!

*Sidenote - I've been informed by Jeremy that Bella will be 5 and not 4. Apparently I'm a bad parent.

Two Christmases ago

This summer... isn't she sweet!

#13 Teaching Dance

I've posted on here before about my love for dance. I was blessed to be able to teach again this year in Council Grove. I hate being away from the boys that night but love that I get to do something I love, get a little exercise and even make a little extra money! It's definately my way to release some tension each week...

#14 Love of Reading

This also doubles as a thank you to my parents... Thank you for giving me the love of reading. When I was younger, I would spend ALL DAY on Sunday reading. I have memories of eating a bag of chips (yes I know... I was addicted then too!), a can of Pepsi (healthy!) and reading for hours leaned against my bedroom door or on the living room couch. I'm glad my parents encouraged this hobby because to this day... I'd rather be reading than doing anything else. I'm completely content with a book in my hand no matter where I am. It's one of my greatest hopes that I can pass this love on to my boys. Dave already loves to read but its just hard to get him to stop for a few minutes to actually get through a whole book!

Eleven

#11 Veterans

I have a great deal of respect for those in our armed forces that put their life at risk so we can live our daily lives the way we live them. They give me the ability to type whatever I want on here and people to protest and to just live life the way we know it now... and I'm very proud to live in a place like the United States.

We went to the K-State game that was military day last month. At one point in the game, the announcer had those that had been in the armed forces stand up. There were tons of people that were standing but what I kept thinking then, and what has stuck with me, are the families. For every person that is protecting our country there is at least someone waiting here for them. There are parents, children, wives and lovers waiting for their special someone to come home. And as much as I am thankful for those serving... I'm thankful for those who wait for their daily or weekly e-mails or Skypes home. For those, I have the up most respect and say "thank you" for lending this country your brother/sister/son/daughter/husband/wife/daddy/momma.

Nine & Ten

#9 Music

Music is a wonderful thing. A simple song can put you back a decade to a specific place in time and evoke a feeling that you had at that time. It can make you feel sad, happy, giddy, compassionate and a slew of other feelings. It is a great thing. I tried to make a list of my absolute favorite songs of all time but it was a complete fail. So instead... I'm going to do that thing when you are stumped in creative writing class where whatever idea comes to your head you write down. So my "brain dump" of favorite songs are below... in no apparent order.

1. Love Shack by B52s
2. ALMOST any song by George Strait
3. Old Alan Jackson - definitely not the new
4. KISS by Prince
5. Rollin with the Flow - Mark Chestnutt
6. We Believe in God - Amy Grant
7. The River by Garth Brooks
8. Old Reba
9. Most anything by The Judd's
10. Journey songs - (Faithfully, Don't Stop Believing)

If you notice a trend... I tend to like 80's and 90's and a lot of old country. I know... kinda uncool. :)

#10 Friends

I'm a lucky girl. I had the chance to hang out with two of my very best girl friends on Friday. Molly and Rachel. I'm always surprised and glad that we can spend the day or evening together and not do a lot but still be so completely happy to have the time together.

I met my sister in Lawrence on Friday and took her to lunch, then met up with Rachel, who was having lunch with her brother. Rachel and I walked down Mass Street for about 20 minutes then headed to Kansas City to meet up with Molly. When we got there, we played with her almost 6 month old, Olivia and discussed what we were going to to that evening. We ended up wandering the Plaza for a bit, grabbing dinner at BRGR (which was amazing if you are ever around Prairie Village), and watching a movie. We were in bed by midnight. It was perfect. There is something to be said about being able to say and do whatever you want around the people who you love the most. It was a great night. Too bad it won't happen again for another couple of months!

Seven & Eight

#7 Prissy

This is a little silly and superficial, but, I'm glad I'm not a prissy person. Yesterday it was pouring and I forgot my umbrella in my car. I had to make a run for it... but my run was about 3 football fields away. :) No big deal though... I thought my hair looked better afterward anyway!

Now, Jeremy would probably call me "prissy" but he used to call me "dainty" back in high school. I prefer that term. I am girly when the time calls for it but I'm not afraid to be seen not looking perfect and certainly don't worry about it often!

#8 Jobs

Jeremy and I are both lucky to have good jobs to support our family and that we actually enjoy. Part of my job is overseeing the recruiting for the college and handling one of the department's recruiting. It's amazing to me the amount of over-qualified people applying for positions. It makes you very thankful for what you have.

I also have a job where I get to work with people I enjoy. I have a few close friends at work and a boss who is understanding and allows all of her employees to work independently but provides guidance when needed. I made a stupid and somewhat big (by my standards) mistake today and when I told Priscilla about it, she was not upset with me and helped me recitfy it the best I could. She let me know that yes, it was stupid, but in the grand scheme of things, it was not a big deal and that I was already beating myself up about it without her even needing to say anything. It was exactly what I needed. It is definately nice to work for someone who understands their employees and understands that a reaming isn't going to fix anything.

SO - I'm thankful for my job, boss and co-workers. And I'm sure Jeremy will agree... we have it pretty good in the job arena.

Five & Six

#5 - Our Kiddos Grandparents

Jeremy and I are very blessed to have the most wonderful parents. Not only are they great parents to us, but they are they also are great for the boys. It's so nice because David really loves them and always wants to go see Grandpa & Grandma's to "swing" "feed cats" "see Witch" "play Play Dough" and "Cheetos". He also loves going to Grandma and Papa's where he loves to read books, paint, have all sorts of yummy snacks and play on the computer. I'm sure Dillon loves to go too... but Dave definitely talks for both of them!  It's amazing and I'm sure it has something to do with being a grandparent, but, I swear - all four of them have some MAJOR patience. Richard, Jeremy's dad,  will swing Dave on the swing for an hour if that's what he wants and Betty, my mom, will read book after book for hours. They always want to see the boys and we always have someone waiting in line to watch them if we need a night out.

I don't have a lot of memories of my grandparents growing up... a little here and there... like watching Wheel of Fortune with my Grandma Bert and eating cereal out of those individual cereal boxes at my Grandma Voorhees' house. Jeremy, on the other hand, always has a story about some kind of trouble he and his cousins got into and I love to hear them. I hope our boys will remember a little better than their old mommy... we'll just have to remind them often of all the fun they get to have with their grandparents.

#6 - Leilani/Mike/Miranda/Laken

If you know me well at all... you know I'm adopted. I have some of those great parents (mentioned above) that talked to me about it growing up anytime I asked. They would always say... your birth parents loved you very much and that is why they believed they needed to give you to us. And you know what? Those great parents were right.

Enter The Wagner's. Leilani and I met shortly after I graduated from high school.

Long story short, you have to be 18 to search for birth parents. My parents always told me they would like for me to wait until closer to graduation because they didn't want me spending my senior year worrying about it. Jeremy took me to meet her at Olive Garden in Topeka. We talked there for a few hours and walked around the mall. It was very low key and comfortable. When I got back in the car - Jeremy just couldn't stop from smiling - he kept saying how alike we seemed and that we even walked similar! Ever since that day, we've been close. Mike has accepted us as family and so have the girls. I have two sweet sisters, Miranda and Laken. Grandma Carol is a grandma to me. My parents get along well with them and it's really just an extension of family now. How lucky am I?

Leilani, Mike and Laken watched the boys today while I attended a bridal shower.



The boys and Granny Lolly



The boys and Mike

I stole those pictures off of facebook - so thank you Leilani!

The girls and me in June... the weekend before Dill was born!

There is much more to my story of being adopted. Hopefully I'll get around to telling it all sometime in the near future!

Thankful Month

My friend Emily has a blog and had a post the other day about Thankful month. So... I decided to join in and post what I'm thankful for every day!

Since it's November 4th. I have a bit of catching up to do.

#1 - Jeremy

I'm lucky to have a great guy who helps out around the house, takes me to football games, and even doesn't care when I don't "completely" understand what's going on! Plus... he's a super dad.  Love you pookie!

#2 - My Boy - Dave

His silly personality and sweet nature make me smile every day. I can't believe how fast he has grown up. I love hearing his jabbering and seeing the things he picks up without anyone teaching him. He's such a smartie... not sure where he gets it! He has very average parents! :) I'm so surprised at what a wonderful and caring big brother he has turned out to be... I know the boys will argue soon enough... but it's nice to see him comforting Dill when he's upset and "helping" his momma when she needs it.

#3 - My Boy - Dill

Little Dilly Dawg is the most laid back baby I've ever been around. His smiles melt my heart and his giggles make me giggle. He laughs at my dancing around the house and lights up when his daddy or I come in the room. I can't imagine our lives without him. I know I'm constantly being a "mother hen" to him, as Jeremy would say... but it's just because he's my little boy and growing even faster than Davey Dawg did!

#4 - My Brother - Troy

My mom and I were talking the other day about the changes that have taken place in Dave's life since Dillon was born and how he's rolled with the punches. My brother and I are 11 years apart and I can't imagine how me showing up affected him! I hear I was a pretty needy baby and child and I'm sure Troy put up with a lot! Plus... I really put a lot of effort into being the "annoying little sister" during his high school years, so I'm sure he was more than annoyed with me. BUT... I remember so many things about him then... even though I was pretty young. I must have really looked up to him. Still do... he's a great dad, father, son and a "special" brother!



You've got to be kidding!

Jeremy always bags on the blog because I'm such an infrequent and sporadic poster... because of that - I have LOTS to share. So to catch you up...

Last time I "really" posted, it was right before my birthday and I was sharing my resolutions. An update:

• Woodworking - I finally convinced Jeremy to let me build these oak shelves I've been eyeing of Ana White's website. This picture is from her website... definitely not the finished product. My project is going a little slow. I've sanded the oak down but was trying to get one piece glued together while Dave was napping one afternoon and glued it wrong. I'm currently trying to figure out exactly how to go about "detaching" my mistake!
• Take time for myself. Not so much - yet... Jeremy and I have had some alone time which has been great but I haven't had much time for just me. Next Friday I'm meeting up with Rachel and Molly and I CAN'T WAIT!
• Think before speaking - yeah right. I'm a work in progress.
• Give up Chips. I made it one day. :) Dave was eating some Cheetos at Richard and Lori's and wanted me to hold them. I was doing pretty good until Jeremy leaned over and said "Amanda, everyone has a vice. Yours is just chips. You can eat one." So I did.

The night before my birthday we went to our friends' house in Dwight, the Talley's for a quick visit. Jeremy snapped this cute picture of the two boys, Jacob and Dave cruising for chicks. Jacob will be in David's class as they are only a few months apart! I hope they are good friends and the girls are not too busy fighting over them- but they are handsome boys now... so who knows! :)

On my birthday, Alta Vista had Old Settlers Day. There were lots of activities.

There was a parade.

This was a "homecoming couple from years ago! It was so cute!

My Birthday Pic!

Trike Races!

Foot Races!

Softball throw!

Turtle Races!

And a bounce house!

Old Settler's Day also had a volleyball tournament and horseshoe tournament but as I don't play sports that involve a ball... and know nothing about horseshoes - I was out.

My friend Rachel came down while Jeremy was fishing one weekend and we went to the Pumpkin Patch in Alma. The patch had all kinds of activities like a tree house, jumping into hay, tube slide, walking trail, smores, etc. and of course, pumpkins!

 Dill was a good sport for his big brother.

We took Dillon to a couple of football games. We didn't take Dave because he would have been all over the place. Maybe in a couple of years the whole family can start going!

We had tummy time. :)

Dave took a nap with Mommy.

And one with Daddy. Obviously he really likes his Sponge Bob blanket.

And last but not least... we did some Halloweening!



Dave was a football player and Dill was a horse.

We did a Halloween Parade in AV.

Richard and Lori and my parents, Sam and Betty, handed out candy on the street as well.

We went to a carnival they held at the Baptist church here. Dave loved the cake walk!

But pick out Skittles instead of yummy cookies! I was WAY disappointed!

Now that I've caught up on my posting. I promise to try to be better in the future!