I like Autumn...

Well, skoodle-up the doodle, up the deedle, up the dee...our jackets, we're glad we brought 'em! Yes, it's me singing Barney's famous song, "I like Autumn." Cute song. Boys love silliness just as much as I do. Maybe more. I have to say, I have really enjoyed the hot summer but am glad to get out the Halloween stuff out and take the boys on nature walks around the n'hood collecting various leaves from the beautiful changing trees. My life rules right now. The boys are growing up so fast and I am enjoying every single day of it. I will never regret it or take it for granted. I am not Super-Mom, but I do love doing stuff for my little guys. They are so much fun! This year, the boys are both in school a couple days a week, which enables me to spend 2 hours alone, one day a week, with each one! Tyler and I have time during lunch once a week, which is usually Applebee's or the "big chairs" (bar-stools) at McD's. He is so sweet and loves his Mommy time. He is learning so much about God's Love, prayer, and forgiveness. God is working on him so much and he is soaking every little bit of it in. He holds the door open for me, makes sure I have everything I need, says Grace all by himself no matter where we are, and always remembers to get an extra toy or balloon for "Little". Very thoughtful, sincere, loving, and my little snuggle-bug. His favorite song is "He lifts me up". Makes my heart melt. So much, I could cry. Little and I get 2 hours in the morning and it's usually spent shopping. He follows me closely, never in a cart or stroller, and is extremely independent. This little boy of mine knows what he wants, and I am cherishing these two very, very short hours one-on-one with him...getting to know how he ticks. It is truly amazing how incredibly strong, wise, and smart he is...already at such a young age. He shows no fear, but always is cautious in a new adventure, making sure it is safe/secure, and sits quietly while doing it. He is his Father. :) He talks about hockey, Daddy, his new Pillow Pets, and motorcycles. Today, we picked the 4 biggest pumpkins we could find. He was totally bummed he couldn't pick them up by himself for mommy, but never gave up. My "Littlestrong" always doing the maximum he could possibly do...just like Daddy. Never gives up, intensely motivated, stops at nothing. Heart melt #2 (and 3). I am blessed. So incredibly blessed. And loved by the most wonderful 3 boys in the world. Thank-you, God.

What do I do now? Sept 2010

So, apparently there's this mis-conception that dropping your kids off at daycare/church/playdate, etc. means that you have all of this time to go shopping, relax poolside, have coffee with BFF's. WRONG! Well, wrong for today at least. I was crying before I took Christian in his class. Tyler went in his class wonderfully, and so did my "Little". One might wonder why in the world am I sad? I have all of this time to get the house cleaned, shop for new furniture for Little's room, get ready for the garage sale I am having tomorrow, do the laundry piled up in the closet/master/laundry room, and have time leftover to do my walk/run to prepare for the Victory in the Valley cancer walk/run this Saturday morning. Keeping busy is always what works best for me to keep my mind off of things I worry about...so I should never worry b/c I am always busy, right? It's 10:30 already, and the only thing I have done so far is fold a few things and catch up on my blog. I am feeling so much better, though. Just writing this blog has been therapy for me. I will be a happier Mom knowing that my kids are having fun at church, making friends, learning social skills, and learning more about our awesome God. I am super blessed and thankful to have just one day a week for them to do their activities. I will get so much done around here, take care of myself (long, long overdue), and enjoy cranking the stereo to my favorite music! I feel soooo much better!

Finally Home

I am writing this through very, very dry eyes aching for me to go and put my contacts in their respective case, however, I am exhausted enough to (be lazy on the couch) endure the pain and write a quick blog about the move! It's been a week now and it is starting to feel like home now that I have a total of 3 pictures up. We have been fortunate enough to have a lot of help from our very dear freinds to help us un-pack, hang pictures, get the garage door openers installed, and most importantly...get the boys' rooms totally ready for them before they spent their first night in theor new rooms. Thank you so very much Chris & Lisa, and Terrel & Crystal. Your help has been wonderful and very much appreciated!!! The concrete patios are poured in the backyard now, ready for numerous summer parties and many cookouts. All 4 of us pressed our handprints and wrote our names into the sidewalk leading from the garage to the driveway. I can't wait to compare Tyler and Christian's handprints years from now. It's like the first page of the new adventures yet to come in the home our children will grow up in. I can't wait to get totally unpacked so I can relax a little bit and plan our housewarming party. There's nothing I love more than surrounding myself with the people I love the most and eating some good food! :) Well, it's short and sweet, but it's all I have right now! Nighty night!

THANKS BE TO GOD!!!!!!

I am writing this through real tears of absolute pure joy, humbleness, and feelings of euphoria! Prayers have been going out these last couple of years about my aunt Carol, Jeff, Christian, Tyler, and recently...my uncle Mike and sister Amber. Carol's breast cancer has been nipped in it's little "milk dud" bud. Tyler's arachnoid cyst has not grown and is seeming to cause no problems. Christian's hole in his heart will probably never cause him any real problems unless he has large blood clots at an elderly age. Jeff's symptoms have been caused by inflamed vertebrae and muscle spasms due to his hard workouts to promote his impecable shape and athleticism. :) *Hoo-rah!* Mike's fluid around his lungs has been removed and it's hopefully not coming back. Today, I found out that Amber's "tumor on her kidney" was NO TUMOR at all!!! It was a hemangioma on her kidney and poses no real threat. I cannot tell you how much being a Christian totally RULES!!! My friend, Patti, has taught me how to pray for healing and making sure to "thank Him for healing". As I pray nowadays, I imagine He is laying His hands upon mine, I lay my hands upon my loved ones, and I thank HIM for healing them. It might sound nutz to some of you who have never stepped foot in a Southern Baptist Church, but I am telling you....GOD DOES DO MIRACLES and he RULES!!!

Jeff's 31st Birthday and Selling the House

Last week, Jeff turned 31. I decorated the house (just like my Mom always did for us) after he went to bed and when he woke up, he saw all of the decorations and all of the little notes the boys and I made for him the day before. I hid them in places like the cabinet with the coffee, the pantry where he keeps his power bars, and the fridge where he gets his lunch prepped for the day. I am so incredibly happy that I am sharing my life with the most phenomenal man I have ever known. I am emotional when I write this, but I am in love! He is so much more than I ever thought God would ever give me, and for that, I thank the Lord above ten-fold. Tyler wanted to make Daddy a "cake" for his bday after he helped me make the tiramisu he loves sooo much. We filled a bowl with random things and never measured. He wanted flour, whole wheat flour, powdered sugar, an egg, a little milk, a lot of cinnamon and cloves, and some salt. Ok, it smelled really good while it was baking, but I wasn't sure I was going to try it. He was SO PROUD while he was making it...I mean, the look on his innocent little face was truly priceless. He was much more interested in doing that for Daddy than he was when he made his card. Pride is an understatement. The boys devoured the cake and thought it was delicious. I promise to do this more often...it was just about 1/2 c. of all of the first few ingredients, and then a teaspoon or so of the cinnamon, and a shake of the cloves. It was edible! Love it! Some other random fun things the boys have been up to lately is bathtime talk. After breakfast, I usually give the boys a bath every morning in my bathroom while I take my shower and do my hair and make-up. While doing my hair, I hear Tyler say, "Look, Christian...mine's big!" Christian replies, "NO! Mine's big!" Ok, people...is this really starting at the age of 4 and 2?!? LOL!!!!! I turned around to look at them actually comparing. I am in big, big trouble and I am afraid it's just the beginning...so I am told. Another fun thing they like to say (to Daddy after their bath) is "Wrap me up like a burrito, Daddy." Then he carries them into their rooms and gets them dressed. Christian's lingo is: "Wrap me up like a frito, Daddy." We LOVE it and cherish these fun moments of innocence. Tyler has started to tell me I am pretty every single day....something I will never get tired of hearing. Even if it's right before he asks me if he can have a snack or if he can watch a movie. You gotta love his ambition, right? He also tells me that certain things I might suggest throughout the day are "just a great idea" and "you rock, Mom." What that does for one's self-esteem is unmeasureable! Our house has only been on the market for a little over 2 weeks and we got a full price offer on Friday. Marci Hinnen of Prudential rules. She sold our first house the first day, and we are so incredibly grateful. I used to be one to keep an immaculate home, but those days are over until the boys are a little older. Keeping this house spotless and keeping all of the toys picked up constantly was wearing on the kids and I thank God it's over. We went by the new place tonight so I could measure the windows in the bedrooms. I am excited to get things packed up and organized. It's the OCD in me. I am also pretty stoked to get a small bistro table for the eat in area by the kitchen and new curtains for my bedroom and the boy's room. I am on a mission to find some sweet sale somewhere for a fun glass table with iron chairs. Inexpensive and boy-proof! Penny's usually has some good sales on curtains...let the bargains begin! On a last note, my sis went to the ER last night with stomach pain, and a headache, and some other painful stuff. The docs found a solid mass on her kidney. She has a long history of kidney problems and we are praying that this mass is benign. Please keep her in your prayers, and that the sonogram they do tomorrow shows good results. She has an appointment with her doc next week (yes, she has to wait an entire week to find out, argggghhhh) to speak about the results. Please, Lord do your miracles and heal her. She also can't seem to beat this headache...that really bites. Thanks for reading our blog. I hope it brought a smile to your face, and don't forget to pray. xoxo

Cabin Fever

Boy, oh boy! This snow is beautiful, but we are so ready for some warm weather! The boys are demanding so much of me right now, and with the house going on the market tomorrow...I have been swamped. Christian is outside now with Jeff shoveling snow and playing. Little is his Daddy's shadow for sure. It's so darn cute! Tyler is in bed, 1 hour early. *sigh* He cried the entire time I got his warm clothes on...that his sleeves and pants weren't on properly. By the time I got him outside with his coat on, he was sobbing and crying so much that he said he wanted to come inside. I then sent him to bed to find out his head is hurting and it feels "warm", too. The neuro docs seen to think that since it hasn't grown that it will probably never cause any problems, but these little "episodes" he has been having are very exhausting. Probably moreso for him than me, but I am feeling quite overwhelmed with everything going on and always feel guilty that I don't do enough with the boys. Ironic, coming from a SAHM (stay at home Mom). I always try to do my best and make very certain that the boys never go to bed without hugs, kisses, and an I love you. I guess that makes it all better, doesn't it? It is exciting though, to put the house on the market in hopes of the next house on a cul-de-sac. In the spring, we will LOVE hanging out there and having a backyard with no golf-balls! I can't wait to have parties and playdates in our next home with no worries! Woo-hoo!!! If it is meant to be, it will be. We always know God has a plan and that things are awesome as long as we follow what He wants us to do! I can't begin to say how blessed I feel as I look out the windows from a warm house...knowing there are others out there so cold and without power or homes, spouses or children. We are truly blessed and thankful. Praise God!

In the last year...

Apparently, about this time last year I had a dream to start a blog and keep my close friends and family updates with the daily "happenings" of the Dowden's. I'll give it a go this time... Tyler just turned 4 and started 2 half-days per week at his Christian Preschool in the fall. He had a difficult time transitioning to this time away from "Little" and Mommy time, but we think he is getting the hang of it. We love his teachers very much. They are kind, considerate, compassionate, and tender ladies with a true love for their little ones in their class. We are blessed so much because Tyler talks about his classmates, teachers, projects, and snacks now when I pick him. Last week, Tanganyika Wildlife Park brought several animals to the gymnasium for the kids to view and learn about. Tyler pet the snake (that's my boy!) and said, "The hedgehog was "pokey" and I didn't want to touch it...and I cried...and (again) I didn't want to touch it." I said, "Did any of the other kids cry?" He said, "No....just me." That story never gets old, LOL! The happenings around here always put a smile on my face and fill my heart with gladness. I am so stoked he pet the snake. I don't want him to have that fear so many people have...now if we can just work on the fear of birds, and going to a room by himself! :) Christian "Little" is our newly 2-year-old fireball. Scratch that. Cannonball is more appropriate. He is a climber, a tumbler, a UFC fighter ( I mean he can really defend himself and is scared of nothing. Not bully-like.), a runner, a biker, a serious hockey player, is opinioniated about his attire already, counts to 20 by himself, recites "God our Father" by himself at each meal, is potty-training himself (thank-you, Jesus!), and we believe he will be an atlelete for sure because he loves every sport and is fearless. he totally gets that from his athletic Daddy. When we pass basketball goals while driving, he looks out the window and says, "I want to play basketball with Daddy." Santa brought Little a b-ball goal and Jeff cannot wait to get it outside this spring. Christian is a Daddy's boy bigtime. When he wakes up in the morning, it's the first thing he asks about, and it's the last person he wants to see before he shuts his little eyes at night. He always wants Daddy to put him to bed, read him stories, and hang out with. He just runs his little legs off when Jeff comes home from work and throws himself at him. It melts my heart and we are so thankful and blessed to have such an awesome unit!!! Jeff and I are great. We love being parents, we love being married, we love our lives, and we are counting our blessings. Spring is around the corner and we are thinking (again) about putting our house on the market and finding that 1+acre lot with room to put in cool boy stuff like dirt tracks, sand boxes, treehouses, playsets, and a killer pool (for me). We have found some great homes in 3 different school districts so far but have not found the perfect one yet. There is one house we LOVE but only has 2 bedrooms on the main level so we are considering adding on. It's a lot to take on, but the seller is motivated and making 2 house payments so it might be worth it. I do believe good things come to those who wait so we just have to be patient. I love looking at real-estate and also love moving, so the suffering of cabin-fever hasn't been incredibly bad. :)