Watch out Baby Sis'er, IT'S ME!!

Toddlers can say the funniest things.  And sometimes the reason they are so funny is because THEY ARE SO TRUE!

Yesterday, I was holding our Baby Girl on the couch and my Little Man kind of bounded onto the couch and randomly exclaimed, "Watch out Baby Sis'er, IT'S ME!"

Honestly, for those of you who know my Little Man, I am curious to know the image that just popped into your head that would cause that to be a valid warning.

With as rambunctious as my Little Man is, I kind of wonder if he will be able to come up with a more true statement to tell her for quite a while.  We have had quite a few close calls where flying objects....or flying toddlers.....have nearly pummeled our Baby Girl. And as much as I am trying to keep my Baby Girl safe, there are times that my ability to do so is lacking.

For example:

When Baby Girl was about 2 weeks old, against my better judgement, I gave into Little Man's request to stay in the bathroom while I showered.  I decided that would be okay because Baby Girl was sleeping in her bassinet in my bedroom.  Unfortunately,  Little Man got tired of being in the bathroom and I had not locked the door to keep him trapped (kind of, anyway).   When I came out of the bathroom, I discovered that Baby Girl was now sleeping peacefully on my bed.  I'm making a guess Baby Girl didn't jump out of her bassinet by herself. I can only hope the transport process wasn't to upsetting for her.  I suppose it wasn't too bad since she had gone back to sleep by the time I discovered her.

Last week, I had just left the living room where Baby girl was sleeping in her rocking chair.  I had barely made it down the hall when Little Man comes running up and says "Babes, Babes, Babes, Babes, Babes turn Baby Sister upside down." I returned to the living room to find Baby Girl grunting in her tipped-all-the-way-backwards rocking chair.

But perhaps Little Man's warning is more applicable to the future than the past.   Last night, as Baby Girl and I were sitting on the couch, Little Man came up to snuggle with us.  Not long after, he slyly said, "Babes take away Baby Sister's head, please, please?"  Say WHAT?  NO!  You may not take away Baby Sister's head!!

So Baby Girl, consider yourself duly warned by your big brother, "Watch out Baby Sis'er, IT'S ME!!"

Babes hold Baby Sis'er

Baby Sis'er taste like salsa!!

 
Disclaimer:  Little Man has expanded the game his Grandpa likes to play with him of "stealing your nose" to include stealing any body part he feels like....and that is how he wanted to take away her head.  He (hopefully) doesn't really  want to decapitate his sister.

Adventures Not Quite in my neighbors driveway

So, winter has arrived in our little town. Those frosty little snowflakes now cover our lawns, house tops, trees, parks, and when the snow first falls....they cover up our roads and driveways.

There are snow plows and four-wheelers moving snow all over town attempting to restore our ability to travel to and fro.  And for the most part, they are successful.  Still travel shortly after a snowstorm can be treacherous--especially in the dark.  Such was the case for me last Sunday while I was traveling to my neighbor's house to help prepare handouts for our upcoming Relief Society meeting.

Though I can't recall actually going to this neighbors home before, I was pretty sure I knew which house was her's (this makes much more sense if you know how county addresses work around here).   This particular neighbor lives in what I consider the "other side of the Y" on a dead end road.  Because the road is a dead end, I haven't really been a frequenter of the area, though I am sure I have driven it a few dozen times over the years.  But that doesn't mean I had the area memorized.

Anyway, I headed over to her house just after 7 p.m. (remember it is dark then ;) ) on the day after our first  heavy snowstorm.  Since I was only mostly sure (not 100% sure) which house I was headed to, I was focusing on finding the house.  Focusing on finding the house must have been a little bit distracting because as I rounded the corner and saw the house I was headed for, I started searching for the driveway.  Remember it was dark.

In the shadows I saw what I thought was their plowed out driveway with a light snow dusting on it.  Did I mention they live on hill????  Anyway, since I thought there was a light dusting of snow on their driveway, I gunned it so I would be sure to make it up the hill.

Gunning it was my second mistake.....the first mistake was identifying the driveway.  It turns out that what I thought was the outlines of their plowed driveway was actually 2 sets of footprints on their yard. :(  So basically, I plowed my car right into the snowbank on the side of the road.  Of course, since the snowplow (or 4 wheeler) had been by, it was not just the fallen snow, but the extra snow from the road, and I was buried 3/4 of the tires deep in snow.  And Very Embarrassingly Stuck.

Fortunately for me, I live in a very friendly town and there was another neighbor heading home who took time to stop and try to push me out.  He wasn't able to get me out just by pushing, but he hurried home and got a tow rope and he and the husband of the neighbor I was headed to were able to pull me out fairly easily with a truck.  I was then able to drive the additional 50 or so feet and make it with no problems into their ACTUAL driveway ;)

No Con Se Ken Says

At first glance, the title of this blog may appear to be a foreign language.  It isn't.  Instead, it is the phonetic breakdown of how my Little Man says the phrase "No consequences."

The most recent use of this phrase was last night.  Jake and I are trying to teach Little Man that he needs to listen to what Mom and Dad say and obey quickly.  Our teaching this principle is feeling even more urgent since we have recently welcomed a Baby Sister to our family and she of necessity spends a (large) portion of the day not in our arms--leaving her exposed to the energetic and speedy actions of her overly loving Big Brother.

Last night, we were preparing to have our family prayer and had asked several times for Little Man to join us, but he kept running away.  We  have found that if we state a consequence for disobedience, he will do as we have requested.  Unfortunately, Little Man is occasionally SLOW to obey even with the stated consequence.  Perhaps it was my state of exhaustion that caused me to lose my patience, but there came a point that I started counting to 3 (which almost always elicits the desired response in a rapid fashion).  Tragically (yes, tragically) last night I actually made it to 3 :(.  

The tragic consequence for Mom making it all the way to 3 without Little Man sitting down for prayer was that he didn't get his sippy cup of milk while going to bed.

Upon hearing that he would no longer be able to have his "Sippy Big Milk" he rushed over to where we were kneeling and started crying, "Babes pray with Dad! Get Sippy Big Milk! Peas Peas Peas (Please)" We reminded him that not getting milk was the consequence for not listening to Mom.  This caused him to break out with a string of "No Con Se Ken Says!"

These "No Con Se Ken Says!" moments have taught me something that I never supposed as a child: Enforcing consequences is as hard or harder for parents than receiving them for children.  Not allowing my Little Man to have his "sippy big milk" last night made my evening much more difficult not only because I had to listen to him begging for milk (saying please over and over for it no less) and crying, but because I knew that giving him the milk would likely result in him falling asleep quickly and allow me to finish up some other responsibilities I needed to attend to.

But I did not give him the milk.  I couldn't because as a Mom, it is my responsibility to teach my child correct principles.  As a Mom, I need to teach my Little Man and Baby Sister to trust that what I say will happen, will happen.

I don't need them to know this because I am their Mom and want them to obey me, but because the home is the first place (and increasingly the ONLY place) that they can learn there are consequences for their actions. Despite what the government may do remove the hard consequences of unwise choices, the Lord has not removed them.

I want my children to know that they must obey the Lord to receive the blessings He so wants to give them.   I want them to know that they can not reach the judgement bar after a disobedient life and cry "No consequences!" and receive the same blessings as the obedient and faithful.  I want them to trust that God will do as He says He will, and the promised consequences, good and bad, will be waiting for them after their choices.  I am sure it is hard for our Heavenly Father to have to with hold those blessings from us, much like it was hard for me to not allow Little Man to have his milk, but He will withhold them if we have disregarded His Laws.

And I feel it is my role to teach my children this principle by letting them experience it in a small degree at home---so that they can develop the discipline to do it with a Heavenly Parent they can not see.  So, I'm sorry my Little Ones....there will be "Con Se Ken Says"in our home.

Spiritual Candy???

Family Home Evenings at our house are usually short experiences where we are attempting to keep Little Man close enough to hear what we are talking about.

Tonight was really no exception.  Our lesson was "I can be happy" from the Behold Your Little Ones manual......or some 3 minute semblance of that lesson.  Because of Little Man's short attention span, we had to use some of what he was doing as part of the lesson....ie, "Jumping off the couch can help us be happy."

Then we decided to ask Little Man what can help him be happy.  His first reply was "watch puppets"--the Little Einsteins episode we had placed on pause to do the lesson.  His next reply took me off guard..."Jesus give candy [Babes]."

The innocence of children is really quite amazing.  Honestly, Little Man's response makes me wonder what he was referring to--A dream, and imagination, or possibly even a memory.  Regardless, I'm sure that getting candy from Jesus would indeed make Little Man, or any of us, quite happy.

AMEN!!!!!

Most of you will immediately recognize that the above picture is not of my son.  Most of you will also immediately recognize that this picture is almost surely staged and for many parents of toddlers probably feels like a never-in-my-life-time experience.  Nevertheless, it is an ideal that many of us LDS parents strive for each week as we take our children to Church.

This picture certainly was not representative of our Sacrament Meeting experience today.  Like most Sundays, Jake and I spent most of the meeting trying to keep Little Man quiet.  Today's distraction of choice was a set of small Winnie the Pooh figurines that Little Man chose to play with UNDER the bench.

However, we do try to have Little Man up and paying some semblance of attention during the blessing and passing of the Sacrament.  It seems that he has become somewhat familiar with the process since today, during the blessing of the bread, Little Man began to ask for "Bread."  After being assured that we were indeed about to receive the bread, he became impatient.  He folded his little arms (an action we have been striving/struggling to teach him for prayers) and said a semi-quiet "Amen."  Of course, this did not actually end the prayer, but must have built up Little Man's anticipation because when the Priest blessing the Sacrament did finish the prayer, Little Man yelled his agreement with an emphatic "AMEN!" that I am sure every member of the congregation heard.

I suppose I should be terribly embarrassed to admit this, but I had a difficult time containing my giggles.  Perhaps the reason I was  not mortified at the situation is because I have heard many similar stories throughout the years--and I have to believe that there were many sympathetic parents of former-toddlers making up the congregation.

Despite the seeming hopelessness at ever reaching the ideal of having our children sit quietly through the Sacrament (let alone the whole Sacrament Meeting) Jake and I, like millions of other parents, continue to take our Little Man to church each week.  We do it knowing that he will be a distraction to us and those around us.  We know that there will be times, like today, when he will draw unwanted attention to our family.  But we know it is important to allow our children the opportunity to "come unto Christ" early in their lives. 

I'm sure there will be even "better" stories of our little ones disturbing Sacrament Meeting as we raise our little family--some may even cause me to be mortified.  During those times, I will strive to remember the words of the Savior to "suffer the  little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."Mark 10:14-15

False? Accusations

One of the joys of being a parent is watching your children learn.  Recently I have enjoyed watching Little Man learn to talk and communicate his own ideas.  Sometimes those ideas make me chuckle inside (and sometimes out loud). 

Often in his talking, he shows that he is grasping other concepts we are trying to teach---like our taking away things that he is being too rough with.  However, apparently, he also thinks we take away things without giving him warnings first.

One of Little Man's favorite toys is a rocking horse.  While he is riding, he likes to be a cowboy with his horsy hat. The other day, I couldn't find his horsy hat when he asked for it.  I asked him "Where is your horsy hat?"  His rather decided reply was, "Dad take away Babe's hat!"

I couldn't think of any reason that Jake might have taken away Little Man's hat, but I also couldn't find the hat.  So when Jake came home from work, I asked him about it.  He told me he couldn't think of a reason Little Man would accuse him of such a thing.

Apparently, Little Man also remembered thinking that Dad had taken away his hat when Jake came home.  While Jake was changing him, Little Man told Jake, "Dad take away Babe's hat!"  We got a chuckle out of the fact that the longest sentence we can remember Little Man saying was making accusations about Daddy.

A few minutes later, Jake came down the hall carrying the hat proclaiming he had been falsely accused.

I teased him back that since he had produced the hat, it was closer to evidence that Little Man's accusations had been true.  But Little Man had his hat back and happily went off to ride the horsy again.

Shortly thereafter, we took a car ride in which Little Man was still wearing his beloved horsy hat.  Unfortunately, it must have interfered with his view and he took it off in the car. And sadly, the hat got left in Dad's car when Little Man got out.

The following day while Jake was at work, Little Man wanted to ride his rocking horse and wear his horsy hat. But since the hat was in Jake's car, he couldn't wear it.  Little Man told me again "Dad take away Babe's hat!" And this time he was correct--even if Dad had done it accidentally ;)

'Cross the River

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go.....

Or more accurately, Over the river and into the woods to the middle of no-where we go....

This past weekend was the annual Hathaway family Joe's Valley Camp Out.   This event is much anticipated by Jake, and semi-dreaded by me.  You see, the Hathaway's grew up camping in a much different fashion than I did.

As a little girl, I camped in a trailer house where we could avoid rain, always had warm beds, often cooked in the trailer, and frequently Mom would bring a portable toilet...(Thanks Mom since I have now realized how disgusting cleaning that thing out actually is!)

When I was a little older, my grandpa built a boughrey (pavilion) at "The Pond" and for the past 10 or so years, the majority of my camping trips have been to "The Pond" where we have a boughrey to protect us from sun and rain, a kitchen (which consists of several camp chef stoves, counter tops, microwaves, and even an oven), running water, and flushing toilets.  All of this gets surrounded by camp trailers, some of which could be considered portable houses, with nearly all of those same conveniences--In fact, one of my aunts did live in her trailer for several WINTER months when her husband took a new job in a different state.

Some people, including Jake, do not consider this "camping".

Jake grew up camping in tents--risking rain,freezing temperatures, and creepy crawlies to sleep under the stars.  Much of their cooking was done over the fire. They would drive hundreds (okay dozens) of miles to escape any semblance of civilization and get back to nature.  Hiking is one of their favorite pass times....regardless of the terrain.  In fact, they have renamed one of the mountains near their campsite "7 year mountain" because it took them 7 years of hiking it to find a route to the top.

Needless to say, their favorite campsite doesn't have any of the "modern" camping conveniences like easy-to-cook-over fire pits, running water, or civilized bathrooms.  You have only what you bring and what you find in nature.

That kind of camping is all well and good--if you like that kind of thing.  But in my mind that is definitely"roughing it" even in a good year.  But this year I have a still-in-diapers toddler who loves to play in the water and their favorite campsite is right next to a river.  And to top it all off, I happen to be 6 months pregnant, and the thought of frequent (especially middle of the night) nature walks to take care of business just did not sound like fun.

But Jake loves it, and I love Jake....so I went.

And like most things I don't want to do, the anxiety about it was much worse than the actual event.

One reason for this is that Joe's Valley really is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  Even though we went in August, everything looked so green.  The campsite is surrounded by mountains, the river provides a soothing background noise, and the view of the near by canyon is incredible.

Additionally, Jake does everything he can to make my stay there comfortable.  We took an inflatable mattress and plenty of blankets to make the night cozy.  Though we did have to cook over the fire because we haven't acquired camping stoves yet, Jake did pretty much all of the cooking---and dish washing!! We brought a canopy to protect the "kitchen" and provide shade or protection from rain if need be.  And we brought lots of treats to snack on.

But perhaps the best part of being up there is the escape from everyday life and its distractions/responsibilities.  At home, there are always a hundred things that "need" to be done (dishes, laundry, cleaning, working, checking Facebook, shopping, calling so-and-so, etc.)  But up there, many of those things simply can not be done, so there is no need to think about them.  It was also a good opportunity to watch my Little Man enjoying some of life's simple pleasures....and be reminded to enjoy some of them myself.  His favorite activity of the trip was to throw rocks into the river.  It seemed no matter how long he had done it, it was still fun to him.  He and his cousins turned a rocky shore into a sandy beach in the 2 days we were there.  Little Man also enjoyed climbing a few small hills and a giant rock, sliding down a dirt formation, playing in a semi-natural tree hut, and going with Daddy "'Cross the river" to explore the woods on the other side.

So though I may not fully enjoy "roughing it," I am grateful for the opportunity to escape.  Even though I woke up to spiders in my bed both mornings.

Discovering the River

Choosing the perfect rock

Climbing the hills

Playing games with Grandma and cousins

Hanging out with the Auntie and Uncle

Chilling with a cousin

Helping set up the beds and the tent

Rocking the tree hut

SNACKING!

Going down the slide

Little Helper

OR Only  half twice as long

Tonight, Jake and I were folding laundry.  Since I don't really like to do laundry, let alone fold it when it is dry......  There was quite the pile to take care of.  Typically, we fold laundry on the bed.  Which causes some minor problems since jumping on the bed is one of Little Man's favorite activities.  Today was no exception, though he is getting better about not destroying the folded piles we have scattered all over the bed.

Rather than just lock the Little Man out of the room, Jake and I try to let him stay as long as the work of folding the laundry isn't hindered TOOOOO much.  Usually he has several warnings that jumping on the laundry or pulling it off the bed will result in being evicted from the room (a punishment almost unbearable to the little guy).  Usually, by the time we have finished folding all the laundry, Little Man has been locked out at least once--a difficult punishment to enforce since he is constantly telling us "Help" "Help".

You see, Little Man loves to ""help" mommy and daddy.  Even the most tedious of chores to me seems to entertain him.  It seems that no matter what chores I feel I "have to do,"  Little Man is there eager to help out.  Lots of times I have even discovered him doing the chores for me  while I have been busy with something else (like showering--where discovery of his acts of service will surely not be discovered until later).

I try to remind myself that he really does need to learn these skills, and that even though it takes me twice as long to accomplish my chores now (or to clean up after one of his attempts at service), one day it will pay off because he will have learned to do these things for himself.  I am constantly reminded of some counsel I read once that said something along the lines of "Children should be allowed to help when they are little, encouraged to help when they grow up a little, and perhaps forced to help when they are teenagers." 

Still as discouraging as it may be to discover that mopping the bathroom floor has just been moved to the top of the priority list......I love my Little Man!!!!  And, hopefully, allowing the chores to take twice as long now, will mean I can "share" some of them with him later so it really will mean only half the work for me later.

Here are some pictures of some of Little Man's favorite chores.

Scrubbing the toilet....usually this is one of those "acts of service" done while Mommy is in the shower.---Did you know that if you angle it just right, you can actually store the scrub brush IN the toilet?  Now you you do :)

Helping Daddy!  No matter what tool Daddy has, Little Man wants to learn how to use it!

Doing Laundry!  "Got it all out Mommy!

Sweeping the kitchen floor...no crumbs in this kitchen ;)

Washing the dishes.......and sharing the bubbles with the plants near the sink.

Gardening???  "I know this gets rid of unwanted crap, Mom"

Cooking....I don't think the beaters worked well enough, I'll put some elbow grease to it Mom.

And of course, we can't leave dirty dishes laying around ;)  I think this is going to be a great batch!

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth

Image from lds.org

Yesterday I took my Little Man on a short walk to the neighbors swing set (which they graciously offered to let us use whenever).   Little Man loves the swings and the slide, so he of course wants to go more frequently than I am able to take him.  But I had some time yesterday, and Jake needed some Little-Man-free time to work on the shed, so away we went.

As I was swinging, I was looking around their beautiful yard and thought that the Garden of Eden probably looked much like their yard.  It made me even more grateful to live in the beautiful valley we have the privilege of living in. Perhaps that feeling was intensified because I had recently been studying the Creation.

 I have no way of knowing how many times I have read or heard the account of the creation in my life.  I don't remember a time in my life that I didn't know or believe it to be true. Only recently have I realized how much of a gift that knowledge has always been.

Several months ago, I observed a "conversation" on facebook where several people whom I knew to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) were discussing their thoughts on evolution.  Quite frankly, I was shocked to see how many of them seemed to accept evolution as "fact" and practically totally dismissed the account of the creation as found in the Bible and the Pearl of Great Price.  Some claimed the LDS Church had no standpoint on evolution. Some tried to reconcile evolution with the account of the creation by saying perhaps God used evolution to create Adam and Eve.  Some claim the evidence of science is so great that to not believe in evolution is foolishness.

 Because of the nature of the conversation and my inability to articulate in "rapid" discussions (arguments), I chose not to comment in the discussion.  Instead, I took the opportunity to study my beliefs as an LDS person more fully. Studying the accounts of the creation in the scriptures and the words of modern prophets on the subject proved to be a spiritual experience.  It strengthened my testimony that what I have always believed is indeed true:  God created the earth and placed the various forms of life on it.

In my study, I found documentation of the LDS Church's stand on the theory of evolution, particularly as it relates to human life.  A statement from the First Presidency in 1909 and reprinted in 2002 clearly states our belief that Adam was the first man upon the earth, and that he was not a descendant of lower orders of life.  (see The Origin of Man).  Other articles expanded on the scriptures and allowed opportunity for the Holy Ghost to testify to me that evolution was not the process used in the plant or animal kingdoms either.  God created all things and placed them on the earth where they "brought forth after their own kind"  (see Genesis 1)

I know many claim the evidence of science in support of evolution is overwhelming.  I don't know all the arguments, and I don't plan to attempt to dispute them here.  I value science--especially the convenience it brings to my life.  But I also choose to have Faith in my life.  I think that science can help us to understand many things.  And in many ways those things will help prepare us for eternity.  But when science contradicts the revealed word of God, I will always choose to believe the words of God.  Any other choice would indeed be "foolishness" (See 2 Nephi 9:28-29).

I know some people will judge me to be naive for my beliefs, but I don't care.  I choose to put my faith in God above science.  I have felt the Holy Ghost testify to me that we are children of God, that God created this world, and that the words of the prophets are true.  I don't claim to know everything, but I do have faith that in time I will understand all things.  Until then, I put my trust in God.

Hello Officer....

View from near the bottom of the driveway

I've been thinking about changing the picture on my blog to a picture of my driveway.  I didn't do it earlier because I hadn't taken a picture that actually had the driveway in it.

I remedied that this afternoon because we had a funny driveway story.

Jake was out working on our new woodshed and I had gone out to watch him finish up.  A few minutes later we saw a car going towards the neighbor's driveway, then it backed up and drove up our driveway.  As it was starting up the bottom of the drive, I noticed it was a sheriff's car.

Now, to be perfectly clear.  Jake and I don't do things that should require a sheriff's visit.  Still, there is a certain tenseness that happens when you see a cop coming up your driveway.

Our driveway is a little long (and has a circular portion)....so we had 20-30 seconds before he made it up to the house.  When he reached the top of the driveway, he paused, told Jake "Sorry, I just didn't know where this road went."  And he continued down the driveway.

Jake and I kind of chuckled because on the 24th we had several 4 wheelers come up the driveway looking for a path to the mountains.   Because of that I had commented that we should put a sign at the bottom that says "Private Drive"......guess if we had gotten around to doing that quickly, we wouldn't have had the chance to show our Little Man a cop car up close ;)  

Night time fences

Last  night we set up Little Man's new bed. So far, he seems to like the bed.  But liking the BED and liking to SLEEP on the bed aren't quite the same thing ;).

Previously, we had him on a full sized mattress that was set on the floor.  Our nightly routine included laying by him as he went to sleep.  And lately he has been doing that pretty fast.  Some nights when he was wiggly, we could even tell him that he needed to stay in bed and we would come back to check on him.  When we would come back a few (10-15) minutes later, he would either be asleep or still in bed.

Last night, however, I think the excitement of the new bed and the change in routine made falling asleep challenging for him.  He kept talking about the "fence" on his bed.  After 30-40 minutes of sitting with a very wiggly Little Man, I told him I was going to leave and I would be back in a few minutes.  Apparently, the "fence" on his bed made him think of horses because when I came back to check on him, he had left his bed and was riding his rocking horse.

I put him back in the bed and stayed for a few more minutes.  During that time, he kept telling me about the "fence" and "opening the gate". Again, I left telling him I would be back to check on him.  A few minutes later..........he was back on the rocking horse. 

Maybe we'll have to get him a horse to keep in his "fence" while he sleeps so he can stay in bed ;)

Let the Adventure begin

Well, it has taken a long time, but I finally decided to join the world of blogging.  Don't get your hopes up about frequent posts quite yet.  I still have to figure out if I'm actually going to like doing this.

But anyway, here I am.

Some of you may be wondering about the title of my blog.  Mostly it came from a joke last winter when we purchased a new home.  Our new home happens to have a long, fairly steep driveway since it is on the side of a mountain.  Probably because it is on the side of mountain, it also gets a lot of snow......and most people who came to visit us wound up stuck.

At one point, I was joking with someone that I could write a fairly entertaining blog about the various ways people got stuck....or unstuck in my driveway.  But I didn't get around to doing it then.  I'm sure there will be many opportunities this winter to write about the adventures of digging people out of our snow drifts. ;)  Unless of course people decided last year that visiting us in the snow wasn't worth it.

Aside from that, my Little Man is constantly providing us new adventures.  So regardless of the number of driving stories that make it to the blog, I'm sure there will be quite a few about the adventures (joys and challenges) of raising our Little Man.

So welcome to my blog.  Enjoy.  And if you don't enjoy, feel free to click away to another site.

Let the Adventure (sharing) begin!