First stitches!

It has begun... might as well keep with the HMO now. I have a feeling that our kids are daring enough to keep the co-pays flowing. Tonight, we went for our after-dinner walk (such a gorgeous evening!) and Madelyn was speeding along on her bike and fell into a curb. Don't ask us how, we didn't see it all. All I saw was the bike careening out-of-control toward the curb and Madelyn chin-planting into it.... talk about pitter-pattering of my heart! Madelyn wasn't liking the idea of blood coming out of her chin but was able to calm down pretty quickly, especially when the nice elderly woman that lived in the house whose curb Madelyn chin-planted in came out with a wad of paper towels for us (of whom Madelyn later asks, "Was that girl a nice stranger?" :) ) and then used one of her own wet washclothes to clean her hands and face - so nice! Once we got a look at it though Ben and I knew that stitches were in order. :( So, I carried Madelyn home and on the way we talked about how the doctor needed to tell us how we should take care of it. She seemed okay with that, so we headed out to the urgent care clinic right away. She was a little sad because it hurt but did really well on the way to the clinic and decided on her own to ask Jesus to help her feel better and heal her owie. She then did an AMAZING job at the clinic - Thank you, God! I am truly proud of my BIG GIRL too! The nurses numbed up her chin and then rinsed it out. The doctor said she was going to put two stitches in, but then decided, when Madelyn was doing such a wonderful job of staying calm, to put four in to get it shut nicely. Madelyn is now saying, "The doctor made my owie smaller, so that it will heal up faster." :) Now we'll see how she wakes up in the morning! Hopefully her spirits will be as good as they were tonight about the whole thing! If you think about, say a quick prayer for her and the biggest owie she's had yet.... Thanks!

I love you, Dad!

Dear Dad,

I feel so privileged to be the daughter of Michael Alan Cobb. You were (and are) such a terrific dad and grandpa. You always took an interested in what I was doing but was always careful to give enough freedom to allow me to find myself. However, you were also stern when stern was needed! (I'm specificly remembering the late night outing that I wanted to take!) During our last trip to Grant, I loved watching you with your grandchildren. I can tell that you are little out of practice, but that you loved having them around too. I wish we lived closer to you and Mom... it would be such a blessing to see you and kids interact more often! I would also just love to sit and talk and be with you.... I love you, Dad.

Well, Dad, I had this great idea about putting together a picture collage and having it printed and framed and sent to you - something you could put by your computer and I could update every so often with recent pictures. It really was (and maybe is) a great idea.... in theory. So, I got the collage done, no problem. However, the project got stuck there until it was too late. :( I am still planning to follow through, I promise. Let's plan on me having it for you at Christmas, okay?

May 2008 Pics and Videos

I have new pics and video for May 2008 available. Here is the link to the pictures (the videos are below). We had a great time in May. We started the month in Grant and had a great time visiting with my family. After we got home, the kids and I were really getting into the warmer weather (albeit only in the upper 60*s to mid 70*s). We took a trip to Como Zoo and Conservatory. Both kids got something new to ride on; Greyson got a trike and Madelyn got a tag-along bike (that Ben attaches and pulls behind his bike and Madelyn absolutely loves! [Note to self: remember, "Dad, this new bike is SO FUN!"]) The flowers started blooming and the garden was planted. The Klocke Family came by to visit (thank you for stopping, Klocke's!). Madelyn discovered sprinklers and how fun they are to run in. Lastly, the kids "helped" wash the van to get it ready for our upcoming roadtrip to Petit Jean (which will have its own post soon! Promise!).

Como Conservatory - beautiful boy with beautiful flowers!

running in the sprinkler - new found fun

Madelyn's works of art - a dancer & an angel (yeah right!)

And a few videos for your viewing pleasure:

Spring trip to Grant

A couple of weeks ago, Ben was scheduled to go to a conference in Atlanta. Since Atlanta is "only" about 3 hours from my parents (and grandparents and sister) and we came across very reasonable tickets to get there, the kids and I decided to go too. It was really a nice trip. We hadn't seen my side of the family since Thanksgiving, so it was SO good seeing them! The kids had a blast too!

When we left Minnesota, it was mid-30* temps at the end of April - BRRRR! But we were flying into Atlanta where it was about 75* or so. So almost as soon as we got off the plane I took Greyson's long sleeve shirt off of him leaving only his overalls - very hick! He fit in perfectly now.

It took about 5 hours to get to Grant from Atlanta because of Atlanta traffic (uggghhh!) but the kids did very well. (FYI - the roadtrips back and forth to Atlanta were also a little test to see what the kids might be like on our upcoming LONG roadtrip to Arkansas. I know...we're CRAZY!) Ben came and hung out with us in Grant for a couple of days until he had to leave for his conference. That was awesome to have some time away from the normal grind as a family with extended family.

Grandpa walking the kids into a restaurant.

Gpa riding the kids in the golf cart. I was just "a little" nervous....

My boys resting.... how sweet!

After Ben left to go back to Atlanta, it was just me, my parents, and the kids (and the occasional grandparent that stopped by). We were able to get some great bonding time in, especially at the petting zoo. That was fun!

GaGa and the kids at the petting zoo.

Thanks GaGa and Grandpa for having us!!! Love you!

Here are some videos that I took while we were there too that you might enjoy...

April 2008 Pics and Video

April was full of torment this year! The weather teased us with mixed days of warm, hot, and COLD. It made it feel like winter was never going to end, but finally it did and now we are in the throws of spring. Ahhhhh.... Spring is my favorite time of year. It is such a wonderful time for me to see God waking us all up again - the flowers, the trees, the neighborhoods, ME! I love it! It reminds me each year of how when God speaks to us and wakes up our souls to seek Him, the bright light in our lives, and how our souls warm and grow in His care. Thank you, God, for your love and your reminders.

So here's a slideshow of April pictures



and.... here is a cute video of the kids. Enjoy!

The SAHM update

Has it REALLY been 6 months?!?! I can't believe how fast it has flown by. Amazing! I had said from the start that I wouldn't reflect to hard on this new job until I was 6 months in and now here we are.... 6 months in. So, you ask, how do I feel about my new job? In a nutshell, pretty darn good! There are pros and cons (as there is with ANY job), but I'm really glad that I'm on my "journey from successful professional to stay-at-home mom" (thanks Tracy!). So, to utilize my left brain, I will make a couple of lists for you - the PROs and the CONs.

PROs:

• Seeing them grow minute by minute, hour by hour
• "Letting" my children "help me" clean the house and cook :)
• Being the one (along with my husband) to teach my children manners and how to love and learn and respect
• Teaching my children something and seeing the "oh, I get it!" expression
• The opportunity to help others/volunteer during normal work hours
• Getting to know other SAHMs in my neighborhood
• Cooking! (Who would have thought that I would end up liking to cook!)
• Having a little bit more time to work on my favorite crafts and projects
• the smiles, laughs, love, silliness, unrepeatable wonderful good times!

CONs:

• Neverending housework (On a 100% scale, this is probably 95% of my CON list!)
• Dealing with a certain 3-yr-old's independent, backtalking streak
• Dealing with a certain 18-mon-old's persistant exploratory ways
• the grumpies, fits, screaming, bickering, backtalking parts of the job!

And then if I weigh the PROs and CONs, like any good left-brainer, I think it is pretty clear! I made the BEST CHOICE! Thank you everyone that has supported me during this transition! And I thank God that He really prepared me for this change because I really feel like if I had made the switch earlier or waited longer, then I would have had regrets. It all came in His timing! Praise God!

Also, I have been known to say that I miss the technical challenges that came with being an engineer. And I do, kind of, but less than I used to. I have found some logical problem solving in my projects and that seems to fit the bill for now. I know that one day I might miss it again and then I will ahve to find another outlet, but I'll wait and see when that happens!

BTW, I know that my blog has been horribly neglected lately.... I'm sorry. I'm sure that I will get back into another upswing soon!