Christmas (and the cold temperatures) are upon us!

 Oh my.  Winter surely has arrived!  I guess I shouldn't have gotten used to the very mild, sometimes warm, November & December temperatures...but I did.  That was until December 11th hit; the day of Dane's work holiday party.  It turned nasty cold and windy.  It was literally freezing outside.  We lost power that night and left the party early to get home to Case. 

I have found that it is harder to get myself & the little one of the house these last few days.  We mostly play inside our (warm) house and run only the necessary errands - grocery store, drug store, post office, etc.  A normal day for us consists of breakfast, dancing excessively to Mariah Carey's Christmas CD, playing (or mostly cheering Case on as he mows around the living/family room), lunch, bathtime, naptime, more playing inside, dinner, more playing inside, & bed.  I am so excited for Case to celebrate his 2nd Christmas and get some new toys...I think his old ones are starting to be less and less exciting.

Is it just me though or is it others too that find it harder to be motivated the colder it gets?  Thank goodness I was nearly all done with our Christmas shopping weeks ago.  I have no desire to fight the cold or the holiday traffic & lines in stores.

Despite some of winters annoyances though I actually do like the cold months.  Yes, perhaps winter does last a few weeks too long some years, but I can honestly say it just doesn't feel right without cold.  I can say this because I lived in CA for a couple years.  Curling up to a nice warm fire and drinking hot chocolate when it is 60+ degrees outside just never seemed right or even appropriate really.  I guess I am just a true midwestern girl at heart :)

So anyways, our family is ready for Christmas.  Ready to see our little boy tear open some presents and go wild with the new basketball hoop and ball "Santa" got him (among other things).  This Christmas is going to be fantastic.  We are going to be surrounded by most all of our family and loved ones, we will eat wonderfully huge Christmas dinners, and we will surely be blessed beyond bounds.  So incase I don't get to blog before the 25th, Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope this Christmas finds all of you with plenty of food on your table & in the company of your loved ones. And now to end with a little scripture...

Luke 2:8-12; 13-14

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.""

Look what he's up to now!

Helping Momma Swiffer

Our Little Stud

I thought it would be fun to jot down some of the amazing little things Case has been up to recently, so here it goes...

- Case loves balls.  He especially loves soccer balls.  There is a 95% chance if you give him anything other than a soccer ball he will still kick it.  For example, he kicks his football and his baseball.  In fact, he kicks his sippy cup like a soccer ball too sometimes!  Perhaps we have a future soccer stud on our hands?

- Case used the potty today.  Yes, I am absolutely serious about this.  We were in the kitchen and Case was clearly, how should I say this politely, going #2 .  I asked him if he wanted to go on the potty.  He ran upstairs to the potty and I held him on it.  He tried hard to go, but his real business was already done.  He did however go #1 in the potty :)  And by the way, I would have never thought to introduce him to the potty so early, but he has showed signs of interest lately and he has also clearly shown me AT TIMES that he is making a conscious decision to go potty, so I have decided "why not". 

- Case loves the vacuum.  He has actually always taken an interest in the vacuum, but now he can participate in the process more.  I will say, "Case you want to help Momma vacuum?" and he immediately climbs the steps, runs into the spare room & then stands at the closet pointing.  He knows exactly where the vacuum "lives".  He helps me plug in the vacuum, helps me turn on the vacuum & trots around behind me as I use the vacuum.  He loves when I use the attachments to vacuum the stairs because I will let him put his hand over the attachment and feel the suction.  He is my big helper.

- Case also loves to swiffer.  I have altered the swiffer handle to be his size and he uses it ALL the time.  I have plenty of pics. to prove my point :)

- Case is growing more and more interested in drinking out of a glass than his sippy cup.  If there is a glass of water sitting around and he spots it, he won't drink out of his sippy cup.  He actually does really well with a glass.  I only put a little water in the glass at a time, but he manages to spill very little...unless of course he has decided he has had enough water.  At that point he pours it out and start playing in it!

- Case seems to really like peanut butter.  What a blessing!  I gave him a try the other day just to see if he would eat it and he did.  Apparently I didn't give him enough because he spotted the jar on the island and kept saying "Mo, Mo" (more) and pointing to the PB.  I bet he had just under a tablespoon...and (1) tablespoon alone has 100 calories and 6 grams of fat!  (It's a "healthy fat" the Dr. says.)  Go Case! 

- Case has laughing attacks daily and I absolutely LOVE it!  He has always been a happy baby and has been laughing for many, many months now, but lately it is different.  He literally can't contain his laughs sometimes.  It may just be the most beautiful sound in the world.

- Case loves when we sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider".  I do the hand motions and he also tries to do them!  He mostly likes making the itsy bitsy spider climb :)

- Case recently discovered he can fit into one of our bathroom drawers.  He thinks it is just great.  I, on the other hand, am worried the drawer might break.  I don't think I will have to worry for long though, in another month he won't fit...he is growing so fast!!

I am sure that there are many more things I am forgetting.  Case changes daily.   He is constantly learning new things and more quickly now.  Not a day goes by where Dane and I aren't blown away by how amazing and intelligent he is.  We love our Case!

I'm Back!

Case with his cup...

Bath time is SO much fun!!

It's possible that I have forgotten how to blog considering I haven't posted in several days!  We have been busy.  Busy with another trip back "home" to Chatham and busy with TWO Thanksgivings!  It's an understatement to say that both Thanksgivings were delicious.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful families.

We got our first snowflakes of the season this morning.  You really had to look closely to see them & they only lasted a few minutes, but never-the-less it snowed!  As soon as I saw the tiny flakes I suited Case up, grabbed my camera & we rushed outside.  Case did notice the snowflakes immediately.  I don't think he knew what to think about them though or what to do, but he noticed.  I so wanted to capture those moments on camera, but of course the memory card for my camera was missing (missing as in plugged into our laptop inside the house), so my photo-op didn't happen.  Next time...

Case had a somewhat "off" day.  I think he is getting his molars because he is chewing on EVERYTHING (mostly his own fingers).  He had a hard time going down for both his naps today which is not like him at all.  He ate food well, but didn't want his bottle...he only took 1 oz. tonight for me.  Although I don't worry like I used to about his eating/drinking, I still worry.  I guess I worry about everything though.  I hear that never changes once you have children.

The highlight of Case's day (and mine) was no doubt his bath time.  He had a BLAST!  He always loves his baths, but today was extra fun.  He has a cup in the tub and I would fill it up and say "One, Two, Three" on Three I would pour/throw some of the water out towards Case - he thought this was insanely funny!  Then he would do it on my count, throwing the water over his shoulder - again, he thought this was insanely funny!  And it was insanely funny too.  I guarantee that you would have been laughing hard had you seen Case laughing :)  Thankfully I got these happy moments captured on camera.  I think Case was grinning big time in every picture I took.

So it has been a good day.  In fact the last several days have been good.  Hopefully it won't be so long until my next post!

I want that too some day...

Fall Fun.  11.20.2010

This weekend we made a trip to Babies "R" Us.  I say a trip because the closest Babies "R" Us to us means a 15-20 minute car ride, even when we jump on the interstate.  Before arriving at Babies "R" Us we stopped at Culvers for lunch.  We were hungry & Culvers is conveniently located right across from Babies "R" Us.

We ended up sitting next to a much older couple.  I was trying to feed Case & he wasn't having any part of it.  Instead, he was interested in waiving to the couple next to us.  The woman kept waiving back and perhaps the man did too, but I couldn't see him well from where I was sitting.  The woman got up at some point and I continued to try and feed Case, literally jumping from one chair to the next depending on which way his head was facing.  It was classic.  I noticed the man taking an interest as to what was going on & Case was sure interested in him.  The man told me Case would eat when he was hungry and I halfway agreed.  He told me that seeing Case brought back memories of their three daughters who are now grown and in their 60's.  That really caught my attention.  Wow!  If only Dane & I could live long enough to see Case into his 60's.  That would be amazing!  But Case in his 60's?!  Oh my gosh, that is crazy.

When the man and his wife left I looked at Dane and I told him that I hoped that would be us some day; that we might have a similar story.  That couple was getting around great! More so though, how beautiful would it be to live to 80+ and still be in the company of your one love and your grown children?  Can you imagine?  I actually can't right now, that seems too far off.  I do though desperately hope that Dane & I get to live out that fairytale.

Clean Enough

I'll be the first to admit that I love a clean house.  In fact, not only do I love a clean house, I find it nearly impossible to function in a dirty house.  I come by this honestly though.  My mom and dad are both this way.  The way my brother and I earned an allowance growing up was by helping out with chores.  Once a week we were responsible for vacuuming our own room, dusting our own room & cleaning a bathroom.  We were also responsible for making sure the basement (our hang out area) was clean & orderly.  My parents were reasonable though in their efforts to keep the house clean  and tidy.  They rightfully expected that we hang up our cloths rather than throwing them on the floor & that we make our beds in the morning.  I am not saying our house was always spotless though.  After all, a family of four lived there.  A family of four in which BOTH children played soccer - in the rain, in the sleet, & in the snow- and had a constant flow of friends in and out.  I was allowed to eat in the family room on occasion and I even got to put my feet on the coffee table (mostly when my dad wasn't looking though!).  I am pretty sure I brought more dirt into that house with all my filthy soccer cloths than my mom and dad combined & that didn't bother them.  We didn't spend all our free time cleaning, not in the least, but we did clean.  We were expected to keep the house, our rooms, & the basement clean...  clean enough that is. 

From the time Dane & I moved into our current house I have been a "clean freak" you might say.  I would clean the floors, polish the furniture, & clean the bathrooms and mirrors at least twice a week.  I made sure everything in our house had a place and that at the end of the day, each item was in its place.  Dane used to tell me it was hard for him to cook because I was always right under him wiping up a spill or tossing something into the dish washer before he was done using it. I just couldn't help myself.  I was slightly OCD.  I knew it then, but I liked cleaning.  I liked the way a clean and orderly house made me feel.  I had the time to clean & tidy up, so why not?

Then Case came along.   At first I fought myself to not obsess with cleaning.  To not obsess with having toys strung out throughout the family room.  As crazy as it sounds, it was hard for me.  Over time though I have learned that it is OK to simply keep things clean enough and organized enough.  "Enough" being the key word.  Our house is clean enough that you don't have to worry about walking around on the floors and getting a bunch of things stuck to your feet, but you may just run across a fuzzy here and there.  Clean enough that you don't have to tip toe around Case's toys to get from point A to point B, but you may run into one of his trucks on your way from the family room to the kitchen.  Clean enough that we always have clean cloths to wear, but you will always find some dirty laundry in our hampers.  Clean enough that when the sunlight hits our dark furniture you may see a little dust, but you won't be able to write your name it.

I have made my peace with a little clutter and a little dirt.  The little fuzzies on the floor and the little bit of dust on the furniture really don't bother me anymore.  Silly as it may seem, I actually love running into one of Case's trucks in the middle of the family room floor.   Yes, I still hate a dirty house.  This is why I still devote myself to cleaning it once each week, but that is it.  Then I am done.  I may still tidy things up here and there, but I am not extreme.  I can leave the house without fluffing the pillows.  I don't have to open and file every single piece of mail the second Dane brings it in from the mailbox.  I finally consider myself "normal"  :)  I find myself to have accepted what I believe my parents accepted many years ago, probably about the time they started a family, and that is when it comes to the house being clean you do what is reasonable.  Our house is clean enough.

Wedding Bells

So this past weekend Jen got married.  It was a great day, very cold, but great!  Jen was the last of the trio - Kara, Jen, & I - to get married.  In college we "ranked" the order in which we would all get married.  Although we didn't get the order right, we did get Jen's position right.  We thought she would be last and she was!  Last only because she would need to make sure & then reassure herself a few times that Mr. Right is actually Mr. Right.
I believe that most everything went as planned re: wedding and reception. The only hiccups were things that only Jen knew about.  That is exactly how it should be.  It was a great weekend for me personally as well.  It was fun to catch up with family, hang out with friends, & watch Mr. Case dance the night away at the wedding reception. An added bonus was that I actually liked my "up-do" for the wedding...first time ever I have not hated my hair when I have had it done for a formal event!
Our time at "home" was too short, but it is always too short.  On the otherhand, our time in the car was too long, but it is always too long...mostly too long for Case.
It is certainly safe to say that I am not full of words today.  I think maybe it is the cold I picked up this weekend, but who knows.  In any case, I didn't want to skip out on blogging completely when it seems like I should have something to blog about...we did have a pretty huge weekend afterall! 

Kara, Jen, & I.  Also known as the 831 girls from our college days!

BFFs.  Kara, baby Whiteley & I.

Steve & Kara (with BABY!), Dane & I.  I love these guys!

My fam (minus Kyle).  Looking good!

Case getting a kiss from the Bride.

Me & my sweet Case-Face

Dane & I.   Love him!

Rewind please...

"Oh, how cruelly sweet are the echoes that start when memory plays an old tune on the heart!"
 - Eliza Cook

This morning was rough.  No, not because of the little one - Case was perfect.  Not because of anyone. It was rough because I went through the majority of Case's cloths and put more than half of them away.  Not just away for the winter; away for good.  See the little guy is getting bigger each day and his cloths from last winter won't fit him this winter...no matter how cute they are.  The thing is though, it isn't really boxing up the cloths themselves that made this morning rough.  It is what storing away the cloths actually symbolizes.  Case is not really a baby anymore.  I call him my baby, but I will always call him my baby.  I won't ever get Case back at 6 months or 9 months or even 12 months.  His entire first year of life plus a couple months has already passed me by, but where did it go?  As much as I wish that I could get back certain moments or certain ages in Case's life, I can't.  And what about all the other special memories I have that I associate with particular little outfit's?  Like his FIRST Christmas outfits that were given to him by his Grandparents? His first guitar onesie especially picked out to impress his daddy?  And maybe most especially his baby blue quilted overalls with a little train on the front that his Great Grandma Rule gave him last Christmas?  I suppose I will always have those memories, right?  But it is still hard, very hard, to box up those cloths and store them away. 
I am sure that I have shared with you all that I want a little brother for Case.  Not because I don't want a little girl, because I do.  I want both (not at the same time though!).  I want another little boy that can wear the Twins & Illini cloths from Uncle Kyle that Case once wore.  A little boy who can wear one of the 30 or so sleepers my mom mailed to Case or the adorable little Easter outfit Dane's mom gave him.  I want this so that we ALL can reflect back on those "good old times" again.
Although I believe I have come to terms with the fact that my little boy continues to grow up (and quickly), I am also pretty sure that each time I look back at the times past I will ALWAYS want those moments back.  My guess is I am not alone in this; such is life, right?

8.26.2009 - Happy BIRTH-Day Case!

2.26.2010  Happy 6 Months Case!

8.26.2010  Happy 1st Birthday Sweet Boy!

11.5.2010  His most recent portrait...maybe he will smile next time!

Happy Birthday "da-da" & Merry Christmas

What a special day!  Today is Dane's 31st Birthday...my oh my he is getting old!  JK.  We all know I am only a year and a couple months behind him.  I bet it is safe to say that Dane has never, in all his birthday years, woken up (on his birthday) to a house fully decorated for Christmas!  Yes, I know it is premature.  And no, I am not crazy.  I just LOVE Christmas.  The red & green.  The cinnimon scented candles.  All the ribbon...polk-a-dot, striped, you name it!  I must admit it is a little odd to come home to a house full of red and green when it is 70+ degrees outside, but what the heck, why not enjoy the things you love?  So this year we are enjoying Christmas a little early in our house; who knows, maybe it will become tradition!


I think Dane had a very nice morning.  The time change has us all a little out of sorts, but it worked out in our favor today.  Case normally is still sleeping when Dane heads off to work, but this morning he was up at 6:45AM.  That allowed us a little bit of time for Dane to open his birthday gifts. I am not sure why, but Dane always opens his birthday gifts before work.  Maybe that is because I am always very excited for Dane to see what I have gotten him?!  Anyways, this year Case was daddy's big helper.  The funny thing is Case was mostly intrigued by what he got his daddy - a thermal travel coffee mug with his (Case's) picture on it.  While Dane opened the rest of his presents Case sat nicely next to his daddy and pretended to drink out of the mug while stopping every now and then to waive his hand indicating "it's hot"  (that is something he has recently learned).  It was cute.  Well, more than cute but I can't think of another word to describe it.  Dane got some other really cool things - Money from my p's and a very nice sweater & a 3 month membership to the Beer-of-the-Month Club from me.  In addition, I went outside my comfort or "like" zone rather and got him a Chicago Bears long-sleeved tee shirt.  Yes, I am a Vikings fan and always will be, but I have accepted my husband for his flaws (HA)!


Without a doubt though the highlight of Dane's day & best birthday gift to date came in the form of a song.  Case & I have been practicing for several days now...  It goes something like this -


I say, "Happy Birthday to" then Case says, "da-da"
I say,  "Happy Birthday to" then Case says, "da-da"
I say, "Happy Birthday dear" then Case says, "da-da"
Then I finish up with "Happy Birthday to you!"


Trust me, it was pretty darn awesome!


Tonight Dane will get a special birthday dinner and then we will celebrate with cake and ice cream.  When it is time for bed, I will blow out the cinnimon scented candle, turn off the Christmas lights, and we will head upstairs...in our VERY red & green Christmas filled house!

Here Goes Nothing...

I'm officially taking the plunge into "Blog World"!  After all, what better way to share our families story on a (semi) daily basis?  It is probably safe to say that my parents & bro, Dane's parents & sis, and my BFF Kara are the only ones who will read this, but I am completely OK with that!  Why?  Because they are mostly who I am writing this for anyways.  With that being said, here goes nothing...

On the 26th of October Case turned 14 Months!  Sidenote:  At what point to do you stop referring to your child's age in terms of months anyways? He celebrated his SECOND Halloween on the 31st of October & dazzled our neighbors & Dane's co-workers in his Dino Costume.  While the costume looked adorable on him, more impressive was his Dino "ROAR" which he has perfected over the last several months.  Dane took Case trick-or-treating this year while I stayed back to hand out candy.  Per Dane, Case was most excited to "knock, knock, knock" on people's doors and less excited about the candy.  He did great at carrying his own trick-or-treat bag (Thank you Grandma Andrew!) only dropping it once.  Nevermind the one "drop" was in the middle of the street and all the candy went spilling out everywhere! Perhaps the cutest Halloween moment though was at Dane's work when Case took candy out of his own bag and put it in a fellow trick-or-treater's bag!  My sweet, sweet Case-Face!

Case is doing better these days re: eating.  Noodles seem to like him best (little gagging).  I am pleased to report that yesterday for lunch he ate Macaroni,  Baby Food Fruit Medley (we tried cut up bananas but he was NOT a fan), & Pudding.  That is a fairly "normal" toddler meal if you ask me!  This morning Case & I made our way to Hy-Vee for breakfast.  Sidenote: How I would LOVE to have back just ONE Hy-Vee breakfast with G-ma & G-pa Rule!  I ordered an egg sandwich and Case had yogurt (as per always).  I offered Case some cheese from my sandwich and he LOVED it!  He kept reaching out for more, so more he got!  Needless to say I ended up leaving the grocery store with string cheese.  I am encouraged by Case's will to try table food the last several days & his digestive systems ability to tolerate some of it much better.   It's all about baby steps.  Forward marching we go...

Halloween 2010