One of my favorite vistors

I love when old friends come to visit, even if it's only for an hour. Yesterday, one of my old college buddies stopped by since she was in town for a bowl game. The first time Amanda was here Kennedy was only two months old. Man, what a difference six months can make. This time Kennedy didn't sleep for 90% of her visit. Instead, she actively made her way into Amanda's heart by pulling her earrings, relentlessly grabbing for her necklace, talking, giggling, getting shy and just being a complete goof. I not only can't wait to see my little Amanda again, but I also can't wait to see what Kennedy will be doing the next time she drops by. Something tells me that 90% of that visit will be spent chasing Kennedy around.

I'm Back

Yikes!! As GM Jen has pointed out, it looks as though I've lost my blojo (think blog and mojo you dirty minds!). So sorry for my absence and falling off the 25 Days of Thanks wagon...and I was doing so good. I put all the blame on my mom. Since she got here (which was around day 19 but I had to prepare for her arrival on the 18th), she's occupied all of my time by dragging me to such stores as Target and Jo Ann's. Tsk, tsk. Everyone knows I hate those stores. It seems during my blog sabbatical, I also took on an alter ego called "Pinocchio." Anywho, I gots me a new laptop for Christmas, which means I have absolutely no reason not to stay current on my posts. I think I just heard seven people say a little amen. Of course, I won't leave you without a few pictures. Just the Hokenstad three on their way to church Christmas Eve.

25 Days of Thanks - Day 17

For my brothers:

Thank you, Jay, for the many years of picking on me and making me "tough." Thank you for blessing us with your talents and capturing our memories on film. And thank you for being such a great uncle to Kennedy.

My sweet brother, Chris. Thank you for having such a big heart. Thank you for doing the little things in life...like emptying my overflowing trash can. You continue to prove that actions speak louder than words.

(Bradley, I'm sorry but I had to do it. It's one of your best pics and so fitting since you're the baby of the family.) Brad, thank you for wanting to spend time with me these days. I realize we're at different points in our life due to our age difference, so it means a lot that you actually find me fun to be around. And thanks for putting up with all the years of me wanting to dress you as a girl.


Love my bros.

25 Days of Thanks - Day 16

So GM Jen and I have a little weekend tradition. As of lately, our tradition has had a minor hiccup since either I've been out of town or she has. But it looks like this weekend it's showtime...literally. That's right, Saturday Morning at the Movies is back on. The date has been set and it looks like I'm finally going to see New Moon! I think I just set off all of my neighbors' car alarms with my screaming. I am over the (new) moon at the thought of seeing R. Pattz on the big screen and can't wait to share some popcorn with my best movie bud. So on day 16, I'd like to thank Saturday Morning at the Movies. You have no idea how much I look forward to you. And thank you, GM Jen, for loving movies as much as I do. You're the best movie bud a girl could ask for.

25 Days of Thanks - Day 15

I finally did our Christmas cards yesterday. There were a couple of things I figured out once I was done. One, my friends move WAY too much. My address book is filled with pages and pages of scribbled out and updated addresses. And two, I'm sending cards to friends from elementary school, high school, college and ones I've made since I moved to Arizona. I'm completely blessed to have such amazing people in my life and even more blessed that I get to call them my friend. And I absolutely love that each relationship is different. I have some friends that I keep in touch with on a regular basis and others that only check in around the holidays. Yet, I love them all! Since I don't have any sisters, their friendship means the world to me. So on this 15th day of thanks, my shout out goes to all my girls. Thank you, thank you for your friendship and loving me. I love ya right back!

present and future friends

just a nibble of past, present and future friends

25 Days of Thanks - Day 14

This next day of thanks has me a little torn. It's somewhat of a Catch-22 if you ask me. I'm speaking about Brandon's job. In the past two weeks, Brandon has been to Barcelona, London, Germany and Paris. Did I mention that we don't live in Barcelona, London, Germany or Paris. So how can I be thankful for something that takes my husband away for great lengths of time? The obvious reason is, it allows me to be a stay-at-home mom and raise my babes. For that, I am forever grateful for. And every time I see the suitcase being wheeled out for yet another business trip, I have to remind myself that I am, in fact, grateful. But the not-so-obvious reason I'm thankful for his job lies in the job itself. Without this job, Brandon wouldn't be who he is. He wouldn't have the passion, knowledge and drive his position brings him. He's probably one of the most determined people I know, and he'd do anything to improve himself if he thought it would better his company. When he talks about his job and the future of his products, he really talks with pride and enthusiasm. I don't think there are a lot of people who actually enjoy going to work like Brandon does. And in an economy like this, that's just icing on the cake. So on this 14th day of thanks, I'd like to thank Brandon's job. Thank you for utilizing Brandon's talents and keeping him motivated to do well and thank you for allowing me to give Kennedy all my attention...and thank you for the little perks like frequent flyer miles.

25 Days of Thanks - Day 13

Mark it in your calendar, it happened, finally on December 13, exactly 13 days into her 25 days of giving thanks. About an hour ago Michelle had sat down to begin the blog and I assumed by the time I got back it would be done and I would be reviewing the most recent blog. After getting Kennedy up from her nap, changing her diaper and reading to her for about an hour, I came back down stairs to see Michelle in the same position as when I went upstairs, computer in lap, staring at a blank screen, writer's block had set in. I know, a huge crisis.....mind blank, words lost, an hour gone with nothing to show..... so in an effort to rescue Michelle from this crisis, I decided to provide the 13th day of thanks.

So on this 13th day of thanks I would like to honor "Michelle Darling Hokenstad." Those of you that know her personally understand that she is a very special friend, wife and mother! Those of you that know her only from the blog know that she is considered an MVB or a "Most Valuable Blogger." Those of you that know Michelle and my story know that we didn't waste any time getting serious. After only a month I proposed to her on Thanksgiving and only 4 months after that we were walking down the aisle at Caeser's Palace in Las Vegas. But this blog isn't going to elaborate on those events, even though they were two of the best of my life. What I am going to share today is something I wrote Michelle after only 6 days of knowing her, or 1490 days ago.

To the love of my life: Michelle,

As I sit here on the plane, I think about my past and what my life was like before you. Some good times, some bad times, but nothing I can really look back on and say, those were the best times of my life. My Michelle, I have to say that the best times of my life have been the 6 days that you have been in it. From the minute you walked out of Scott and Jamie's room on Friday night, you changed my life and most definitely my future. Never before have I been able to look down the road thirty years and see my self growing old with that person, until you. Never before have I given my heart to someone so completely, until you. Never before have I thought someone was my soulmate, until you. Never before have I been swept off my feet, until you. The things that make me love you are so many: Your heart, your love, your sensitivity, your passion for life and for me, your touch, your kiss, your eyes, your permanent smile, your body, your love of your family, your love of the midwest, your longing to be in my arms, the way you look forward to talking to me, the things you say to me, your trust in us and our future, your love for your job, your love of your friends, your values, your honesty, your faithfulness, your not being complex, your being down to earth, just the love you show me and your love of the Huskers! Michelle, these are the reasons I LOVE YOU. These are the reasons that you are different than anyone I have ever known. These are the reasons that I know you are my soulmate, that you are my other half, that you complete me and my life. I look forward to the many adventures we are going to share and am so blessed I get to share them with you. I don't know what our future holds, but I do know whatever it is, we will be together, hand in hand, forever. I got your back.

I love you Michelle

25 Days of Thanks - Day 12

If you don't already know, I'm a little sweet on Target. I could go on and on about my love affair with that store. Instead, I'll touch upon a fraction of the store's attraction. Walk maybe ten feet into the store and you've already come across one of my favorite treasures...the dollar bin. Who sells batteries for a dollar? Target. Who keeps our dogs well-dressed and our kitchen utensil drawer stocked for a dollar? Target. The dollar bin gets me every time. I'm a sucker. But recently I found a reason to justify my stopping and perusing at the d. bin. I'll give you a hint. It starts with a K and ends with a Y. That's right, everything always goes back to Kennedy. Anyway, seeing all the coloring books, stickers, Play-Doh, chalk, play food, etc. made me think how one day Kennedy's actually going to want this kind of stuff. And that's when the light bulb went on. Hello, in front of me were bins and bins of b.rs....bribery resources. How could I not have seen this before? Oh, the things I let slip through my fingers all because I was looking at Kennedy in the present and not in the future. Once I started thinking about the future Kennedy, it was clear I needed to start a "magic tub" and fill it with all the dollar bin goodies. And if I bought now, I would have these things during the crucial times. Like for example, trying to get Kennedy to eat. I can see it now..."Kennedy, if you eat all your peas, you can pick something out of the magic tub to play with." Peas gone, b.r. awarded, problem solved. So now every time I run to Target, I officially have a reason to stop at the dollar bin. The magic tub must stay on top of its game for little Miss K. So thank you, Target, for helping me prepare for the future and doing it at such a reasonable price.

Magic Tub

25 Days of Thanks - Day 11

Christmas came early for me this year. In fact, it came before Halloween and Thanksgiving. When I was back in Nebraska a few months ago, my mom and I went sewing machine shopping. For me, it was pretty comparable to car shopping. I had no clue what the guy was trying to sell us. Instead of cylinders and all-wheel drives, the salesman was talking about presser foots and winding bobbins. All I seemed to hear was Charlie Brown's teacher..."wah, wah, wah, wah." Which is exactly why trusty old Mom was in tow. After about an hour of comparing this model to that model, I made a somewhat blind purchase, completely relying on my mom's advice.

And so my sewing journey began. Since I didn't know how to sew, my mom became my teacher. It was like having Martha Stewart watching you bake or craft. Intimidating to say the least and not very enjoyable. But when I got my beauty home and I was on my own, it was a different story. I had no one to mess up in front of, no one to compare myself to. I could finally relax and enjoy sewing.

Not wanting to spend money on fabric and patterns that more than likely would end up in the trash, I looked to my closet for my materials. I grabbed all my old t-shirts that I had been hoarding for way too long and went to work. I should point out that the reason I wanted to learn to sew in the first place was for Kennedy's sake. I read all these blogs of women who make their kids the most adorable clothes and I wanted to jump on that bandwagon a.s.a.p. Anyway, the first couple shirts I made her weren't quite what I would call "adorable" or wearable for that matter, but by the third try, I had myself a keeper. It's completely homemade, completely made from scratch and it completely looks like it. Regardless, I was tickled the first time she wore it (in public!) and proud that I had accomplished what I set out to do.

So on this 11th day of thanks, I not only want to thank my sewing machine for putting up with this amateur, but I'd also like to thank Brandon for the perfect Christmas present.

Third time's a charm:

25 Days of Thanks - Day 10

Without this next item worthy of thanks, my blog world wouldn't exist. Without Blogger, I wouldn't be able to journal about the daily, weekly and monthly happenings in our life. I wouldn't be able to show our friends and family my perception of motherhood. Yeah, I suppose I could email everyone and let them know what's going on, but blogging offers a lot more of a personal touch. It's a small window into our life. And the main reason why I started our blog was for Kennedy's sake. Basically, I'm using our blog as a digital scrapbook. At some point in time, I'm going to turn our blog into a book for Kennedy to keep and have forever. It warms my heart to think that perhaps one day, a long, long time from now, she will sit alongside her daughter and show her what I made her as a child. Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words, but a picture and the narrative behind said picture is priceless. Thank you, Blogger, for giving me the opportunity to give my daughter a gift she'll (hopefully) cherish.

P.S. If you're interested in the concept of blog to book, click Here.
I'm sure there are numerous sites that offer this service, but this will give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

25 Days of Thanks - Day 9

step·fa·ther (stěp'fä'thər)
n. The husband of one's mother and not one's natural father.

My goodness, that definition doesn't do my stepfather any justice. He's really not that cold and simple. So let me enhance the definition of stepfather to better describe my stepdad Maurie:

step·fa·ther (stěp'fä'thər)
n. Gentle bear in a male body. As generous a man as they come. Would give you the shirt off his back kind of guy. Loyal and sweet. Loves golf and slot machines. Complete gentleman. Doting grandparent. Hard worker. Undeniably lovable.

Use stepfather in a sentence: My stepfather needs to spend less time at Golf USA so I can see him more often. (he he)

Thank you, Maurie, for not being cold and simple and living up to the dictionary's definition of you.

25 Days of Thanks - Day 8

I love my mom for countless reasons, but one thing that sets her apart from the pack is her craftiness. She's pretty gifted, and I'm speaking more from a jealousy standpoint than a biased one. I simply don't have it in me to watch HGTV and come away with even the slightest clue on how to reconstruct an episode. I'm a read-the-instructions girl. I very rarely deviate off the written path and "teach" myself how to do something. My mom is quite the opposite. She's a let's-wing-it girl. Although I'm insanely jealous of her gift, I'm also extremely thankful for it. Without her talent at turning nothing into something, we wouldn't have an amazing backsplash, designs on the walls, homemade artwork, shelves, a built-in desk and one of her newest marvels...our tiled fireplace. And the new addition to the fireplace couldn't come at a better time. Since it's been dipping into the 40's at night, we can finally use it. No more neglect and no more looking like every other fireplace around here. The girl has been jazzed up and it's all because my mom is a crafty, no-fear tile layer. Just what she needs, another thing to add to her list of "things I know how to do." So thank you, Mom, for making our home homier and for knowing how to do EVERYTHING.

Good Lord, this wall is screaming "Give me life, give me color!"

25 Days of Thanks - Day 7

This next one could be viewed as a very cheap babysitter or very cheap entertainment. In my case, it's the latter. I know I should probably take advantage of its babysitting services and unload the dishwasher or something, but it's close to impossible for me not to just sit and watch. My cheap entertainment rests in the hands of our Jolly Jumper. I know I've mentioned the Jumperoo before, but this one produces way more laughs and has fewer restrictions. If I'm ever having a bad day or just need to smile, simply watching Kennedy jump, dance, stand on her toes, swing and giggle in this thing always seems to do the trick...and for that I'm thankful for.

25 Days of Thanks - Day 6

I love the place we call home. This will be our third Christmas in this house. More importantly, this will be Kennedy's first. I love the fact that she's going to grow up here. And if she's anything like me, many years from now she's going to have dreams about the house she grew up in. And if she's really like me, she'll bring her husband on a sneak drive-by to show him where she grew up. Oh, the memories already formed and the ones to come. The foundation of this house will be the warden of those memories. Makes me a little sad knowing that one day we will say goodbye to our warden and in a sense lose some of those memories that old age can't keep up with. If only I could get the walls to talk, I'd take a piece of them with me. So on my sixth day of thanks, I'd like to tip my hat to Mr. Warden. Thank you for sheltering us as we grow and harboring all of the Hokenstad moments.

Warden at night

25 Days of Thanks - Day 5

Roses are red, violets are blue.

I'm not talking about wealth.

I'm talking about my health.

Thank you body for all of these years.

I've gotten by with very little tears.

An occasional back pain or heartburn, yes.

But really I'm not that big of a mess.

I'm still able to see and hear.

Although, it's not always quite clear.

I can smell and yell and walk.

And even get down on all fours and play with chalk.

You still allow me to eat my sweets.

Although now I have to eat an occasional beet.

My body, my health you haven't kept me stressed.

For this I am thankful and quite blessed.

25 Days of Thanks - Day 4

On this day of thanks, I find myself revisiting this past Thanksgiving. It was really the first time I got to spend a good amount of time with the Hokenstad side of the family. Lucky for me, I came back home with confirmation that I had, in fact, chosen the right, perfect family to marry into. Let me just throw out a few adjectives that describe this side of the family: FUNNY, smart, loving, sweet, charismatic and compatible...oh, and they're dancers too, which is always a plus in my book. After spending almost a week with them, I can say, without a doubt, that I am not only thankful but proud to be a part of this family.

Paul, Lisa, Brandon and Michelle

What's that you say...you want proof they're a dancing family? Well, funny you should ask because I just happen to have a short video of Brandon's dad and Aunt Diane dancing to Elvis. Here's funny, sweet and loving all in one package...

8 Months

25 Days of Thanks - Day 3

Remember when I warned you that some of the things I'm thankful for might seem meaningless to some? Well, it seems this next one might be an example of just that. I know that just a couple months ago I wasn't thankful for these little guys. But since Kennedy has grown quite fond of them and a simple offer of one can stop crying, fussiness and boredom in an instant, it looks like the fondness has spread to me as well. I'm talking about Gerber Graduate Puffs. They're simply so magical that even the binky has taken a backseat to them. Mr. Puff, if you were big enough for me to hug, I'd do just that. Thank you for your endless hours of entertainment and thank you for not being messy. Oh, and thanks for only being 25 calories with a serving size of 72 pieces. Unfortunately, that's for my sake, not Kennedy's. It's puff fever at the Hokenstad household.

Here we find baby bird Kennedy patiently awaiting the arrival of a puff.

25 Days of Thanks - Day 2

Seeing that our dogs have been at my brother's house for the past two weeks and I'm truly missing them, I'm going to dedicate my second day of thanks to Miya and Marley. I know that since Kennedy has joined the family they've been neglected. It makes me sad to think how their lives have changed. So from this point forward, I'm going to make a conscious effort to give them a little more love. That being said, maybe, just maybe, there's still a chance that Kennedy's first words won't be "No, Marley!"

So thank you, Miya and Marley, for your unconditional love and tolerating the drill sergeant that I've become. I woof you.

25 Days of Thanks - Day 1

It's officially December. And each December I find myself thinking about the past year that has flown by yet again. I'm always in awe of what my life has become and this year is no different. Although, this year has more meaning and significance than all the previous years combined. This year marks the birth of my first born. This year solidifies the fact that I'm a parent. This year is the most thankful that I've ever been. Which brings me to my 25 Days of Thanks. Starting today and ending on the 25th, I am going to blog about what I am most thankful for. This will not only serve as my personal reminder as to how blessed I am but will also help me take notice of all the things I take for granted.

Note: I do want to mention that some of the things might seem petty or meaningless to some; however, I am still thankful for them. So please don't be alarmed if I give a shout out to my good old pal sir chocolate.

In no particular order, I give you my first day of thanks...

Day 1:

This one is easy. This one comes without even thinking about it. This one is my best friend, my husband. Without him none of my dreams would have come true. If you know our story, you know that our meeting again, our marriage was in His plan. You don't find each other like that via a chance encounter. And though our personalities are quite possibly as opposite as they come, it all feels as it should...whole, right and solid. So on this first day of thanks, I want to tell my husband, my boog that I am thankful beyond words that you saw something in me that you couldn't live without.

Case in point...this is Brandon on Thanksgiving getting ready to go for a run while I'm thinking about slipping into sweats to make room for all the food that's to come. Do you see what I mean when I say we're opposites. Seriously, who goes running on Thanksgiving? Pure madness.