Day of Suprises

Today, the second day back to work, started out seemingly like every other day. We got up, I got Mark and Noah off for the day and I headed in to work. When I opened the door to my office I found...produce! I have the most amazing friends who work hours in their gardens and share a tremendous amount of it with...me! Look at the amount of yummy, fresh goodies! Amazing surprise #1!!



Later in the morning the school secretary came in with these:




I have to tell you that I always tell Mark not to spend money on flowers...they die quickly and cost a lot, but when these arrived I just stood and cried. Eleven years ago tomorrow Mark and I were married in the heat of the Texas summer. We traveled to a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. While there, we went to The Burning Bush, a restaurant on a small river...creek more like it in Tennessee. In the restaurant there was a woman selling roses to unsuspecting men C: My sweet, new husband bought me a pink one. I will never forget it. So these pink roses sent to me 11 years later meant so much. They meant he remembered all those years ago the "fresh" love we had for one another. They meant he still feels that love for me. Eleven years later he has not forgotten. Wow! I love my husband. Surprise #2 (the surprise is not that I love Mark, but that he sent me flowers without me knowing about it).

I left work at noon and came home. In the mail were surprises #3, 4, and 5! My sister and parents sent cards with items inside them for a great date night to help us celebrate our anniversary. So we are headed to Fogo de Chao for dinner and to Cheesecake Factory for dessert all at the Country Club Plaza...we had actually made those plans well in advance and hadn't told my family, God is so good to provide the blessings from my family to make it the perfect night out! Along with that there was a large package on my front door, HIT Entertainment was the name on the box. Now I will be honest, I thought my sister had bought us our much desired Wii!! That being said, I am totally thrilled with my Cheesecake Factory gift card, and I mean it! So, what was in the box? This:



Noah received a huge Brobee! He loves Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba! Thank you MaMa (Grandma)!

That same husband who sent me those roses took off early to go shopping with me. He patiently went to the teacher supply store, Wal-Mart, JCPenney, Kohls, Starbucks, HyVee, Chilis, and to pick Noah up from daycare.

Surprise #6 happened there. When we drove up Noah was playing outside, but not in the shorts we sent him in...hmmmmmm. We asked what had happened and this is what we heard,

"I was changing Noah's poopy diaper and the other kids were around me pulling and calling my name. I finished changing Noah and he met me in the hallway grabbing at the front of his shorts. I thought that he was trying to tell me he had gone to the restroom in his diaper...until I saw pee running down his leg! I had forgotten to put his diaper!" We laughed so hard. I am a mother of one...have any of my friends who are mothers of multiple children ever done the same? LOL! No picture of this...although the mis-matched outfit was one not to be forgotten!

So we just put Noah to bed, he is laying on Brobee. Mark is in the kitchen heating up the molten chocolate cake that came with our Chili's take-out dinner...the 2 for $20 is an amazing deal...maybe surprise #7! I'm going to end my night snuggled with my amazing husband and thanking God for an amazing day, an amazing family, an amazing life. C:

My Little Tike

After watching Noah get in and out of the Little Tikes car at daycare, Mark and I decided it was time we bought one for Noah that he could play with while at home. We have actually started a family tradition of heading to the city each Friday night for dinner.

So, Friday night we headed to Fuddruckers! Have you been there lately? They have raised their prices since I was in college...lol! We packed Noah a healthy dinner, he ate french fries!



After dinner we headed to Toys 'R Us for Noah's first new car! While there he also got a booster seat so he could sit at the table with Mommy and Daddy.



By the time we got home it was time for bath and bed. That's when the fun began! Mark and I wanted to put Noah's car together so it could be waiting for him in the morning...err...I wanted to put it together. UGH! That little thing almost brought me to tears. There were only picture directions, no words. There were no holes for the screws. Mark, being the wonderful husband that he is, stepped in and took over. Marriage saved (lol).



We didn't get to watch The City of Ember as planned, but the car was ready for Noah bright and early Saturday morning. As we laid down Friday night, at 11:30, I told Mark, "Noah probably won't even play with that car tomorrow." I am so glad I was wrong!

Fourth of July

There is something about going home...really home. Everyone thinks I grew up in Texas...and for over half of my life I did. My true home is Ohio. There is something about it, something about returning and seeing the elementary school I learned in, the house I played in, the park I ran in.


Mark and Noah at Razor's, the ice cream shop that we ate at as kids.

But the trip to Ohio was not really about places, it was about people. I was blessed to be able to spend several days visiting with my dad's family, and one quick day with my mom's. It just works out that way...no favorites!!


The cousins.

I was introduced to "corn-hole" a game that is quite addictive, competitive, and rib-tickling fun! Kit...you owe me one more game. We left it tied 1-1. I'm not sure why, but I was pulled in to game after game, after game, after game...you get the idea. The first night my arm hurt so much I had to take medicine for pain!


Helen throws during a game of corn-hole.

We ate...and ate...and ate. Galaxy Pizza beats Wally's Pizza any day Chris...you are going to have to accept it. For those not part of the tradition, our family greets one another late on Friday night with a big pizza party...only we can't decide on a favorite pizza so we order from two places! I wish I had taken pics of the pizzas...they are enormous and they taste so good after 10:00 pm! I did take pictures of the barbecue from the 4th of July...delicious!


Chris was the grill-master for the day...that is, after I beat him at Corn-Hole!

We celebrated until the wee hours of the night and then headed to Columbus for my mom's family picnic. It was short-lived. My grandma had a single-car accident the morning of and our concern was her getting home...yes, she went to the hospital and then came to the picnic with gifts for Noah! Please pray for her recovery...they are concerned with pneumonia setting in at this point in time.


Dad and Uncle Charlie grilling for the Pennypacker reunion on Sunday.

I wish I could bottle up the events of the week, video each one, post each one. We laughed hard...hard, hard. The conversations were sometimes deep, those happen late at night after we've laughed all we can and the stillness of the night, err...morning...sets in. I know you can sense it, the love I have for my extended family. They are great people, people I love, people I miss. Happy next 4th of July to the Masons, the Albaughs, the Pennypackers, the Beards...miss you until then.