Special Request to all you Moms

I work with the young women at our church. They have a program called Personal Progress. The goal of the program is to help them develop and grow in seven areas: Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Choice & Accountability, Knowledge, Good Works, and Integrity.
I am currently working on it alongside the girls and need your help. If you moms that read my blog could comment on the following.
What are important attributes for being a mother?

If you could respond soon, that'd be great. Thanks for your help.

Father's Day

This has been an extremely busy week and I never got to post about Father's Day. I have an awesome father and am married to an awesome father. What a blessing! Ethan and I gave Jared a cute 1st father's day card and some socks. Yes, Stacey, socks are a privilege in our house: ) It has been fun to watch Jared grow into a great dad. I know it will only get better from here.

Us kids got my dad a hammock for Father's Day. Now that they don't have the pool it seemed appropriate to help him relax in another way. We know that is hard for him, so a hammock seemed perfect. My mom planned a fun scavenger hunt to help my dad figure out what her gift to him was. They are traveling to NYC in July to attend the MLB's Allstar Game which is being held in Yankee Stadium. A special place to my dad since he spent a lot of time there in his youth. The stadium is being torn down and rebuilt after this baseball season is over. They are also doing some fun NYC things, i.e. sightseeing, Jersey Boys (broadway) show, etc. My dad's reaction was amazing. He became very emotional and was fighting back tears. It made all of us cry too! Except Jared, he never cries.

I love the amazing men in my life.

Recognizing Faces

Ethan is getting so smart. He is even recognizing people we see regularly. Today when I dropped him off at his Grandma Krause's he gave her this huge smile. I realized he knows who she is! It was pretty cool. My mom worries he won't know who she is because they don't see each other as often since we live in separate towns. But, as he gets older, he gets smarter and he will know all of his favorite St. Augustinians! Ethan has even started giving kisses. They are open-mouthed and very fresh! I love them!

200 Have and Have Nots

Myndie always has these fun things. I thought I'd do this one. The things I've done are in bold: )

1. Touched an iceberg

2. Slept under the stars

3. Been part of a hockey fight

4. Changed a baby's diaper

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Swam with wild dolphins

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a tarantula

10. Said "I love you" and meant it

11. Bungee jumped(never!)

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise

15. Seen the Northern Lights

16. Gone to a huge sports game

17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables(nothing tastes as good as homegrown)

9. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Bet on a winning horse

23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Taken an ice cold bath

28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar

29. Seen a total eclipse(of the heart...yeah, that song came into my head)

30. Ridden a roller coaster

31. Hit a home run (does our backyard field count)

32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

33. Adopted an accent for fun

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment

36. Loved your job 90% of the time

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I've always had enough, I'm happy with that)

38. Watched wild whales

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach

41. Gone sky diving

42. Visited Ireland

43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited India

45. Bench-pressed your own weight

46. Milked a cow

47. Alphabetized your personal files

48. Ever worn a superhero costume

49. Sung karaoke

50. Lounged around in bed all day

51. Gone scuba diving

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Done something you should regret, but don't (my tattoo)

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Been in a movie

60. Gone without food for 3 days

61. Made cookies from scratch

62. Won first prize in a costume contest

63. Got flowers for no reason (not from my husband)

64. Been in a combat zone

65. Spoken more than one language fluently

66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone

67. Bounced a check

68. Read - and understood - your credit report

69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy

70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did

71. Called or written your Congress person

72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (Orlando and it's worked out well for me!)

73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

74. Helped an animal give birth

75. Been fired or laid off from a job

76. Won money (off my dad's scratch off lotto tickets)

77. Broken a bone (my pinky toe and my nose)

78. Ridden a motorcycle

79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph

80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing

82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

83. Eaten sushi

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read The Bible cover to cover (only once)

86. Changed someones mind about something you care deeply about

87. Gotten someone fired for their actions

88. Gone back to school

89. Changed your name

90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands

91. Eaten fried green tomatoes

92. Read The Iliad (does Ethan's child's version count?)

93. Taught yourself an art from scratch

94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt

96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

97. Been elected to public office

98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream

99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you

101. Had a booth at a street fair

102. Dyed your hair

103. Been a DJ

104. Rocked a baby to sleep

105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four

106. Raked your carpet

107. Brought out the best in people

108. Brought out the worst in people

109. Worn a mood ring

110. Ridden a horse

111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap

112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe

113. Buried a child

114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play

115. Been inside the pyramids

116. Shot a basketball into a basket (only once)

117. Danced at a disco

118. Played in a band(school band, alto sax, one year)

119. Shot a bird

120. Gone to an arboretum

121. Tutored someone

122. Ridden a train

123. Brought an old fad back into style (I attempted, does that count? Boo yah, baby!)

124. Eaten caviar

125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need

126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant

127. Published a book

128. Pieced a quilt

129. Lived in an historic place

130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage

131. Asked for a raise

132. Made a hole-in-one(does put put count?)

133. Gone deep sea fishing

134. Gone roller skating

135. Run a marathon

136. Learned to surf

137. Invented something

138. Flown first class (we got bumped! Very exciting. They have real silverware.)

139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite (Ritz-Carlton, thanks Chris!)

140. Flown in a helicopter

141. Visited Africa

142. Sang a solo

143. Gone spelunking

144. Learned how to take a compliment

145. Written a love-story

146. Seen Michelangelo’s David

147. Had your portrait painted

148. Written a fan letter

149. Spent the night in something haunted

150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane

151. Ran away

152. Learned to juggle

153. Been a boss

154. Sat on a jury

155. Lied about your weight

156. Gone on a diet

157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget

158. Written a poem

159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox (A metal Pac-Man lunchbox. So cool!)

160. Gotten food poisoning

161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission

162. Hiked the Grand Canyon

163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks

164. Gone to the opera

165. Gotten a letter from someone famous

166. Worn knickers

167. Ridden in a limousine

168. Attended the Olympics (Fencing in Atlanta 1996)

169. Can hula or waltz

170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books

171. Been stuck in an elevator

172. Had a revelatory dream

173. Thought you might crash in an airplane

174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert

175. Saved someone’s life

176. Eaten raw whale

177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint

178. Laughed till your side hurt

179. Straddled the equator

180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing

181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival

182. Sent a message in a bottle

183. Spent the night in a hostel

184. Been a cashier

185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (Does the replica at Disney's Wilderness Lodge count?)

186. Joined a union

187. Donated blood or plasma

188. Built a campfire

189. Kept a blog

190. Had hives

191. Worn custom made shoes or boots

192. Made a PowerPoint presentation

193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course

194. Served at a soup kitchen

195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube

196. Know CPR

197. Ridden in or owned a convertible

198. Found a long lost friend

199. Helped solve a crime

200. Gone on a road trip with out a destination in mind

Almost here

Ethan's first tooth is almost here. I didn't know he was so close. In fact, I thought he'd be toothless forever. Earlier this week, he grabbed my finger and put it in his mouth. My hands were clean, so I didn't mind. I figured he'd suck on them for a second and then try something else out. Instead, he bit me! He has a little tooth on the bottom left that is just coming out of the surface. These "first" moments are so exciting. All we did was get a tooth and I am so proud! When it's all the way out, I'll post a picture.