What's in a Name?

Kelly @ kellyskornerblog.com is doing a "Show Us Your Life" kid's names version.

Owen Robert, our first-born son, was born on December 22, 2004. He was many "firsts" to our family: our first son, the first grandchild on my side of the family, the first great-grandchild on my mother's side of the family, and the first grandchild of my husband's mother and father. He was and is truly a blessing to us.

From the moment I found out that I was pregnant with Owen, I dreamed of my brown-eyed, brown-hair in pig-tails little girl. We had decided that her name would be Megan Ann. Megan is just a name that we both liked, and Ann is my middle name, as well as my mom, my sister, my aunt, and my mother-in-law's middle name. I was literally devastated when we found out that we would be welcoming a boy into the world. We had not decided on a boy's name, and quite frankly, all the names that I liked, were already taken by members of my family. Jeremy liked the name Owen; I hated it. We bickered about it for months. I suppose it grew on me over time. Owen's middle name is Robert, which is after my dad. My dad means the world to me (and to Owen!), and I couldn't think of a better way to honor him.

Evan Thomas is our second son, and was born on September 22, 2009 (do you see a pattern here?!?) I had a feeling from the beginning of this pregnancy that we would be having another boy, and that was 100% fine with me. After having one boy and seeing how much fun they are, I didn't have my heart set on either gender. If he had been a girl, we actually had two names picked out: Megan Ann and Claire Elizabeth. The second name is a combination of family names: Clair is my paternal grandfather, and Elizabeth is my maternal grandmother's middle name. I am not really sure how we decided on Evan. We both liked the name, and the fact that it is a short name with little opportunity for shorter nicknames. Thomas was chosen from Jeremy's family. His middle name is Sellard, which was his great-grandfather's first name. I did not want to carry on Sellard in my son's name, so we did the next best thing - we used Sellard's middle name.

If, and that is a BIG "IF", we would ever have any more kids, I think a girl would be Claire Elizabeth because of the family legacy. For a boy, I really don't know. I like the names Ethan and Ryan, but both are taken by close family members. I guess we'd be in a bit of a pickle if we would have another boy to name!

Overheard at the Wilcox House

On the way to work this morning, Owen was talking incessantly, as usual. Here is one of our conversations:

Owen: Mommy, what do boy scouts do?

Me: I don't know, Owen, I was never in boy scouts. I know they go camping, and they probably go on hikes in the woods.

Owen: Were you in Girl Scouts when you were a little girl?

Me: No, I never did that when I was little.

Owen: You can do it now, Mommy.

Me: No, Girl Scouts are only for little girls. Mommies and Daddies can't be in Girl or Boy Scouts.

Owen: Yeah, Daddy can't be in boy scouts because he's way too heavy and way too big.

I love this little man. He just cracks me up sometimes!

Missing You . . .

I happened upon some pictures of me today that were taken on the day of my college graduation. Mom, Dad, Christie, Grandma & Grandpa Hoffheins, Grandma & Pappy Emig, Aunt Brenda & Aunt Glenda, Jeremy, Dick & Cheryl Spangler and Chris Maxwell had come to the ceremony. After everything was over, the only ones who stuck around for pictures were my family, Grandma & Pappy Emig, Chris and Jeremy's family.

As I flipped through those pictures, I remembered that day vividly. It was the middle of May, but it was only about 40 degrees out. You know how when you are in the cold for a long time you have to pee? Well, my poor grandma couldn't hold it any longer .... We all, including her, laughed about it that day. Today, I cried about it. When I flipped to that picture of me with my Grandma & Pappy, I was taken aback, and the tears immediately welled up. I wasn't expecting to come across that picture today.

I remembered what I miss so much about my Grandma who has since passed away - her sense of humor. She was a firecracker, that one. I remember as a kid thinking how "young" my grandma seemed. She went on long bike rides with us grand kids, went on beach vacations with my family, and even tried riding my cousin's dirt bike. I never would have thought she would become so frail so quickly. I didn't realize just how much I miss her until I was reminded today by that picture. I love you Grandma!

Happy Fat Tuesday

One of the yummiest days of the year, in my opinion, is Fastnacht Day. According to Pennsylvania Dutch folklore, the tradition of serving fastnachts - hearty, doughnut-like pastries - comes from the tradition of "using up the fat in the kitchen" before Lent. Today, thousands of the baked goods are deep-fried and served plain or with a sugar topping on the day before Ash Wednesday, also known as "Fat Tuesday."

I have been really trying hard to watch what I eat, and get into a good routine of exercising, but today - today, my friends, this is all going out the window. Every year, my boss brings in the best fastnachts I have ever eaten. I tried to be strong, but I just couldn't do it. When I caught a whiff of their lard-soaked yumminess, I just had to eat one ... or two. Mmmm... who cares if they are 1000 calories .. I'll make it up later. I prefer mine without the sugar, so technically, I am cutting calories ... right?

My Valentine's

Besides my hubby, I have two very special Valentine's in my life.

Owen - My Silly Valentine

This little man makes my heart sing. He is kind and generous, with a big heart. He has a one-of-a kind smile, and a twinkle in his eye. He loves to make you laugh, and gives the best hugs & kisses ever. I love you bubba!

Evan - My Snugly Valentine
I could sit and snuggle this little peanut all day long, and still not have enough. He is such a pleasant little guy with an awesome, happy personality. I love it when he gives me that big toothless smile when he hears my voice or sees me walk into the room. He lights my world. I love you my little snuggle buddy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Since my parents had both of the boys on Saturday night, Jeremy and I decided to go out for a nice dinner together. We went to The Olive Garden and ate entirely too much! But it was so yummy! After dinner, we did some shopping at Target and BJ's, and then went home to watch My Sister's Keeper, which we rented. It was a good movie, and a great Valentine's Day (eve). It was so nice to have some time to ourselves with no kids to worry about.

Snow Fun

(Warning-Picture heavy post!)

I love the look of new-fallen snow. This is the view out our dining room window on Saturday morning, looking at our pine trees.

We were way overdue for a big snow in south central PA. The last big snow we had was way back in 2003. I have to admit, I was so excited when they started hinting at the possibility of a big snow storm. I guess I get that from my mom. Most people hate the snow, but my mom just can't contain her excitement, even when we just get a few inches. For me, I was just looking forward to being snowed in with my family for the weekend. It forced us to stay home and not make any plans for the weekend, which is a rarity for us. It was truly wonderful, and what a relaxing weekend we had as a result! The icing on the cake was the second 20-incher on the way for Wednesday! I could hardly contain myself!! Thank goodness my dad dropped off a snow blower for us to use. I don't think I'd have been nearly as excited for this snow if we had to shovel 3 feet of it the old-fashioned way :)

Owen's swingset on Saturday morning - the snow is up to the bottoms of the swings!

Jeremy clearing a spot for the dog to do his business :)

Owen & Bailey getting ready to go out and play!

Daddy & Owen


We have no hills in our neighborhood, so this is the best sledding we've got!


Evan's first time out in the snow. He wasn't sure what to think.


Owen's swingset Wednesday morning - the swing seats are completely covered & the snow is halfway up the slide. Amazing!


This was taken from inside our garage. I think there is 2 1/2 feet of snow here ...


I bet if we still had the Civic, the snow would completely have covered it. The CR-V sticks out a little bit :)

Owen sitting in the fort that Daddy dug out forhim


Owen & Daddy sledding down the snow pile in our front yard


My little snow buddy. It's hard to see, but his eyelashes are covered in snowflakes.

Of Rice and Evan ...

The 4-month mark is about when we decided to start Evan on some solid foods. He was showing all the signs of being ready, so we figured we'd give it a shot. We had decided that I was going to try my hand at making most of Evan's baby food for him. We first tried the traditional rice cereal, and he absolutely hated it. This happy, bubbly little baby turned into a screaming, rice-spitting little bugger. He tolerated a few spoonfuls, and then he was done. I thought maybe he would like the store-bought rice cereal better, so we tried that, but to no avail. The next choice was oatmeal. He seemed to tolerate that a little better than the rice, but still only swallowed about 1/3 of what I was giving him. Most of it came flying back out at me.


Finally, as a last resort, I started mixing in some fruit with the cereal. Much to my relief, he actually ate his cereal!!! So far, he loves apples, pears and bananas, and will eat either rice or oatmeal as long as one of these fruits is mixed in. We're going to work on peaches next. Then we'll move on to the veggies. I'm a little nervous because my little pumpkin seems to have a sweet tooth.


Owen has always been a great eater. He was never picky, and I can honestly say, I don't think that there is anything this child won't eat. I think we're going to have a picky eater on our hands with this little munchkin.

Bowling

We took Owen bowling for the first time this past weekend. He had a blast, and did pretty well for his first time.

Daddy showing Owen how to hold the bowling ball

Owen all smiles

Owen cracked us up with how he was rolling the ball. He did a great job!


The final score: Owen-66; Mommy-116; Daddy-171. He cheated!

Our cheerleader! He was so good and was content to sit in his car seat most of the time just watching all the action.

The Good Old Days

I start my day before 5 am usually, thanks to my little 4-month old alarm clock. We are out the door around 7am, and we don't get home until around 5:30. Most days, we have quick dinners, unless I manage to get something in the crock pot or in the oven and set the timer. After dinner, it is dishes, baths, and maybe 45 minutes until bed time. Throw into that mix two feedings for an infant, and getting everything ready for the next morning, so that all we have to do is grab everything and load into the car. I also try to do a little housework every night, whether it is a load of laundry, a quick wipe-down of a bathroom or a few passes of the vacuum cleaner just so that the weekends aren't spent cleaning and doing the mountains of laundry that we accumulate. Most nights, I am spent by 8:00.

As I sit here yawning in front of my computer in the middle of the day, I wonder how my mom did it. She worked full-time and had two kids just like me. We always had a clean house, and home-cooked meals for dinner. She made it look so easy.

Why I Love Living in the Country

You simply cannot beat this view from our back door. Jeremy just happened to look out back at the perfect moment yesterday morning and was able to capture these beautiful deer. Two of them were 8-points, and there were several other 4-points. They were about 150 yards away from our house. Amazing! And this, my friends, is why I love living in the country - you don't get views like this in the city.

One Year Ago

Exactly one year ago today, we were living in our new house for exactly 2 weeks and 1 day, and we found out that we were pregnant with Evan. As I'm thinking about that time, I remember all of the emotions that went through me that evening. I had gone to the store to pick up a home pregnancy test, came home, and took the test while Jeremy and Owen were upstairs. I didn't really think I was pregnant, I figured it was just another messed up cycle like so many I had before. When that little white stick flashed "Pregnant", the waterworks started. I cried. I cried because I was happy. We had been trying for over a year to get pregnant. I cried because I was scared. We had a miscarriage in 2007, and I didn't want to go through that experience again. Being the worry wort that I am, I was also worrying already how we could possibly afford everything. (Even though we had already planned our budget around 2 kids in daycare). I cried for Owen - what would he think? He had all of our attention for over 4 years. He was our everything. Would he think he wasn't important to us anymore? Would he love his little brother or sister? I cried because I was selfish. I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with Owen, and I just knew I was going to have it again, and I knew that it meant extra doctor appointments, and checking my blood sugar, watching everything I ate, and probably insulin. How unfair was it that I couldn't just have one normal pregnancy with no complications? I cried because I was excited. We were going to be a family of 4!


One uncomfortable pregnancy, a second bout of gestational diabetes, a c-section, and a year later, we have this beautiful healthy boy, and I love him dearly. I would go through every part of it again to be blessed with another gift like him. He fits into our family so well. I almost don't remember what life was like before he came into our world. God is so good.He is 4 months old today - where has time gone? He is growing so fast; I wish I could just bottle him up and he'd stay like this forever!

Finding My Four-Leaf Clover

I was reading this post on MckMama’s blog, and had another revelation. In her lifetime, MckMama found numerous four-leaf clovers. She always considered herself lucky, until she one day realized that maybe she found so many rare four-leaf clovers because she was always looking for them. This is a great quote from her post: “Perhaps having a good life, one that we are satisfied or joyful in, is not measured by how much subjective good there actually is in our lives, but simply in if we look for satisfaction and joy.” Yet another change that I want to make in my life – I want to find happiness, not wait for happiness to find me. I noticed recently that I had been trying to make myself happy with material things – nothing big or expensive, but I just would buy things that I didn’t need, but thought I couldn’t live without. I would be happy in that moment, but soon forgot about that happiness and was back to being miserable with everything.

I also noticed that I have become a bit OCD about having the perfectly organized and clean home. Don’t get me wrong, having a clean and organized home is important to me, but I’m beginning to see that it is not everything. And although it feels good to have this kind of “perfect” home, and I have this sense of satisfaction when everything is in its place, it is certainly not the most important thing in life. I have decided that I want to spend more quality time with my husband and with my boys. The dog hair on the floor and the toothpaste in the sink can wait until after the kids go to bed.

Last night, for the first time in a long time, I played with my kids and let everything else go. I have to say, it was the best night I’ve had in a long, long time. Jeremy is away for work, and so it was just me and my boys. After dinner, I quickly did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, but I left everything else on my to-do list for later. I held Evan while Owen and I played Sorry Sliders and Guess Who. He beat me in mini golf on the Wii. We had a blast. Owen was happy. Evan was happy. And, for the first time in a long time, I felt truly happy. At bedtime, for once I did not feel guilty for not spending time with the kids. I still had energy to finish off my to-do list, and even got a short workout in. What a great night! I look forward to many more.

A New Me

The past few months have been rough for me. Adjusting to life with our second little miracle, and trying to balance being a mother, a wife, and a career woman have proven difficult for me. I have been taking my stresses out on my family, and my marriage has begun to suffer as a result. I want to be a better mom, and a better wife. Over the past few days and weeks, I have begun to see that I am the only one who can make me happy. No matter what Jeremy does or doesn’t do, I just can’t seem to get out of that unhappy rut. I need to choose to be happy, not expect things from him to make me happy. If I continue to expect that, it will be a constant cycle of let-downs and disappointments.

I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately; trying to figure out what it is that I want from my husband and from my marriage. On MckMama’s blog yesterday, I was reading some of her posts about marriage. I felt as though I was reading the pages of my life as I read about the marital struggles that she and her husband have overcome. One of her posts spoke to me. It was like a slap in the face, like God put that post there for me to find and learn from. She talked about focus. Focus has become my new word to live by. She talked about how she learned to focus on all of the good things about her husband, and not only the negative. I need to learn to do this. I want to do this. I want to learn to appreciate all of the things that my husband does do for me, and not dwell so much on the fact that he leaves his dirty clothes on the floor, or doesn’t put his dishes in the sink. I want to be thankful that he is willing to do the type of work that he does, which requires him to be away from our family sometimes, all so that we can provide a better life for our kids. I want to appreciate the fact that he is always willing to help out with the kids, and give me much-needed breaks. I want to be happy with him because of who he is and what he does for me and our family. I don’t want to be angry and frustrated with him because he is not perfect – show me someone who is. We all have our faults, and I know that I have many. I know that this is going to be a challenge for me. I know that there will be days where I will look at my husband and be frustrated with him because I am so overwhelmed with the to-do lists, and he seems so care-free about everything. And I know that he will most definitely tick me off at some point or another, but I need to learn to let it go. Get over it. As my sister once said to me (joking, of course): “Cry me a river, then build a bridge and get over it”. That is what I need to learn to do – get over it. Holding grudges does no good for anyone. This all seems so simple, so common-sense. I know that it will be a challenge for me, a conscious decision that I will have to make – to focus on the good things.

Introductions

This is me. I'm a wife, a mother, a daughter and a sister. I have been married to my high-school sweetheart, Jeremy, since June 2003. Together, we have 2 beautiful boys - Owen (born in 2004) and Evan (born in 2009). We also have a black lab, (who is more of a horse than a dog) named Bailey. We live in a beautiful house in a quiet area that is just far enough away from everything, but close enough to be convenient. I work full-time as an accountant forDentsply. I enjoy scrapbooking, rubber stamping, and pretty much anything crafty. I love spending time with my family either just hanging out at home, or out and about.

This would be my husband, Jeremy. We met while we were still in high school - tenth grade, to be exact - and working at Wendy's. (And Wendy's is still our favorite fast-food place!) He was a down-to-earth guy who played football, and had some awesome muscles :) I remember following him around at work like a little lost puppy dog. Finally, I asked him to go out with me - yes, I asked him. We went to a Power Shooters Basketball game at my high school, and he then took me to Jake McKillian's restaurant, and to see a movie - Howard Stern's Private Parts (not the best date movie). Ever since that night, we have been joined at the hip. We did almost everything together, and where you saw one of us, the other was usually not far away. We got engaged our senior year of high school, and got married in 2003. It is hard to believe that we have been together for almost 13 years. So much has changed, and yet, so much is the same. He is still the fun-loving guy that can always make me laugh. He is kind-hearted and would do anything for anyone. He is my rock, and I know I can count on him. He is a kid at heart, which makes him a great daddy to our two beautiful boys. I love this man.Jeremy went to YTI and earned his Associates in Electronics Degree in 2001. He worked for 7 years as a Copier Service Tech for 3 different companies. In 2008, he took a job with Dentsply as a Cercon Repair Tech. He travels the eastern half of the US to install and repair our milling machines in dental labs. While the job requires him to be away from the family at times, he enjoys being able to see the different places and report back to me with future vacation spots. Not that we have much spare time lately, but when we do, Jeremy enjoys woodworking, fishing with his dad, and playing with the boys. Jeremy is also getting into photography and enjoys messing around with his Canon Digital Rebel. Between the two of us, we take all of the portraits of the boys.

This is our oldest son, Owen. He was born in December 2004, and was definitely the best Christmas gift ever! He was certainly a blessing in our family. Owen is currently in preschool, and will start kindergarten in the fall. I really cannot believe that. Where have these past 5 years gone? It seems like just yesterday that I was holding this newborn baby in my arms and was in awe at the miracle that just occurred.Owen is 100% boy, which sometimes gets him in trouble. He loves to wrestle with his daddy and run around the house like a maniac. Despite the wild side, Owen is a sensitive, loving little boy. Many times he'll just come up to me and say I love you and give me a hug. It melts my heart. He loves to help me in the kitchen, and sometimes likes to help me clean and fold laundry.Toys are abundant at our house, and I sometimes feel guilty for just how many toys my kids have. Owen enjoys playing with Legos, trucks, tractors and sometimes trains. He has a John Deere Gator power wheels that he loves to ride around the house carrying loads of rocks and sticks. He loves to be outside and go on "hikes" with his daddy. I think Owen is going to be my little artist. He loves to draw, color and paint. He even likes to join me when I'm scrapbooking, and plays with my stamps.Owen loves to spend weekends at Grandma & Grandpa's house. Being the first grandchild on my side of the family, he definitely gets spoiled. He has his grandpa and grandma wrapped around his little finger. They have the best relationship, which I am so thankful for. If it were up to them, they would have Owen all weekend, every weekend!

Evan is our second son, born in September 2009. I was so worried that I did not have enough room in my heart to love another child the way that I do my oldest, but boy was I wrong. I love this little baby. He is the sunshine in my days, and always has a happy smile and bright eyes when I walk into the room. He is the perfect baby, just like his big brother was. I am definitely different the second time around. I just want to savor every moment I have with him, and remember every little smile and coo. I guess I just know how fast this time is going to go, and all of this will be just a memory before I know it.At four months old, Evan is really starting to develop a personality. He babbles to himself all the time, and is content to sit and watch Owen playing, or watch me while I'm cooking in the kitchen. He is a belly sleeper, and sleeps so good for me. Swinging in his swing, playing with his toys on the floor, and cuddling with anyone who is willing are some of Evan's favorite things to do.

This is Bailey, our furry, four-legged son. He is a 7-year old lab. We could not have been blessed with a better dog. He is so gentle with both the kids, and takes a lot of abuse from Owen without complaint. He really does well at taking the back seat since the boys have come into the family. Bailey loves to be wherever we are at. He will lay on my feet if I'm sitting on the couch with Evan, or be right next to Evan if I have him on the floor playing with his toys. He lets Owen do almost anything to him, and if he's had enough, he just gets up and moves.Bailey likes to bark at the stray cats in our neighborhood, and scares the crap out of me when he starts going crazy in the middle of the night because he can see the dumb cat outside. He loves to sit out on our deck or in the yard, and is happy to just be outside when the weather is nice. Because of Bailey, we have learned to keep our counters free of any food. Bailey has been known to swipe bread, cookies, candy, crackers, or anything edible from our counters and devour it. Despite all the dog hair and dirty paw prints on my floors, we love this dog, and he is like our third child.

A Blog for Me

I am starting this blog as a personal journal for me. It is easier for me to find time throughout the day to type quick notes when things pop into my mind, rather than finding time to sit down and write in a journal at the end of the day. I enjoy reading other people's blogs, and getting a glimpse into their lives.

I hope that by posting on this blog, I will be able to capture all the little things that are going on in my life so that I can look back and remember the details of my journey. At this point, I don't know what I am going to post in particular, probably just whatever is on my mind that day. I am sure I'll use this to keep track of milestones in my children's lives, as well as my own. I am so busy most of the time, that I feel like I can't savor the moment and I forget a lot of things that I think I should remember. Hopefully this blog will help me to remember the little things!