The Longest Post EVER!!!

 He loves when the weather is warm enough for us to be outside- don't we all? I can not wait until we utilize our big back yard more so than our playroom.

 Grant is so good to Lane-Lane will ask in his sweetest little brother voice, "brother you take me in your truck?" They are super cute in there. Lane always -99.9% of the time calls Grant "brother" instead of by "Grant." It's super sweet but sometimes I wonder why he does that. He used to call him by his name although it sounded more like "Great" than "Grant" he used to call him by something other than "brother."

 This is the picture of Lane after INSISTING on putting his night time pull-up on ALL BY HIMSELF. Mr. Independent NAILED it -don't ya think?

 Random beautiful sky picture. ??? Who knows why- it's nice though. Yeah?

Unity Mustangs Go To State

 Since my high school basketball team played their supersectional game at the Bowl in Jacksonville, Jason and I decided to take the boys to go see them play.  

 Grant loved every second of it. When we got there I asked him who he was going to cheer for and he replied, "nobody, if Triopia isn't playing then I don't really care who wins" but as I explained to him who I would be cheering for and why he soon gained interest and enthusiasm.  It was so fun to watch him get so involved in each and every second of play. Lane however, whispered in my ear at the end of the first quarter, "Mommy, you ready go now?" Ha-he was not impressed.

 Aunt Vicki joined us at the game-which was so much fun. 

 The Mustangs played a great game and pulled off the win!!!

 The Mustangs went to Peoria to play in the final four and brought home 3rd in State!!! I'm impressed and proud!

Potty Training Reward

 A few weeks ago for two consecutive days Lane showed some signs of potty training regression. I was bummed out at first until I realized it was all my fault! He had done so well picking up on everything and doing amazing that I unknowingly stopped praising him and in addition to slacking on the praise I started to pick up on the nagging. "Lane, do you need to go potty" was spoken at least every half hour. What was I thinking? Of course he was going to regress! So, after I realized my mistake I got right on praising him. High fives, jumping up and down, pats on the back, big hugs and a smiley face chart to track his good work. This worked immediately! He hasn't had a real accident since then. He is trying to be like Grant so now I can't get him to sit down to pee -he almost always chooses to stand up...which can get messy...he isn't tall enough to stand up and pee in the big potty so he uses his potty chair and is okay about hitting his target but it's definitely messier than just sitting down. Wish I could score me one of those urinals that attach to your toilet. That would make us both happy. I think they are too pricey though. Oh well, I am just happy to have him back on track.

 His reward for being accident free each day is that he can play in the water at the kitchen sink. It's one of his most favorite things to do.

 He really enjoyed playing with play doh as a reward too.

Random Pictures

 Great photo bomb from Miss Aurora.

 So happy to be OUTSIDE!

HEARTS AT HOME CONFERENCE

Over the weekend Vicki and I attended our second Hearts at Home conference in Bloomington.  Last year was amazing and this year matched- if not exceeded my expectations. It was equally amazing. There is something so incredibly powerful about nearly 4,000 mothers joined together in one building. There were not just mothers but Christian mothers. What Hearts at Home is like is something that is not described by words -it's a feeling. It's a goose -bumps and "ah ha moments"  kind of feeling.  This conference has proven to fill me up. We attend our church services very regularly but unfortunately since having children I have felt disconnected to the messages our Sunday services provide. I am usually unwrapping fruit snacks, coloring with Lane, taking someone to the potty or breaking up a tiff between our two boys during the important moments of the services...which leaves little room for reflection and connection with the sermons our Pastors gives. So, given that is my situation I try to "fill my bucket up" on my own through prayer and daily devotionals but those end up just being little droplets here and there and I never really feel like I am getting anywhere in this attempt to "fill myself up" with Christ.  But this conference does that for me. It not only fills me up but it causes me to overflow.  There are so many GOD MOMENTS which makes one feel so calm. You know Christ is there with this group and with the speakers. You know that you are not alone in whatever battle or struggle you are going through because the numbers make that nearly impossible. You know that all these women are trying to parent with intent and purpose -they are trying their very hardest to do what they can to raise children who know God.  Hearts at Home is a MUST for me!!! I am already looking forward to next year as they have already announced the keynote speakers. I am excited the one of them will be Gary Chapman, author of the 5 Love Languages.  I read this book several years ago and it was one that changed the way I looked at relationships and made a positive impact on my life. I am even more excited to find out that he has a new book about Love Languages and Children. I don't recall the title but I am most thrilled to know it's out there and plan to read it sometime. 

All of the speakers during the conference were exceptionally good.  I loved something about each of them but two stick out to me. One of them was Jill Savage. She is the founder and CEO of Hearts at Home (which by the way is celebrating their 21st year) she spoke on the topic and theme of this year's conference which is LOVE YOUR LIFE. What I found remarkable was that she stood in front of an auditorium full of thousands of women and explained how even though she was diagnosed a few months ago with breast cancer and has had to undergo chemo and radiation treatment she has still found a way to love her life. How honorable and admiring that she can bare all and show us all of the raw emotion that she has been feeling. She put up slides of the pictures she took when cancer treatments took her hair. Although her head was bald and shinned the gleam in her eye and the shine in her smile was much brighter.  I took note of how she stood and how she composed herself on that stage and to say I was moved and impressed would be an understatement! What a remarkable woman she is!

The second speaker was a speaker I was privileged to see last year at this conference.  Her name is Dr. Kathy Koch. She was funny and blunt and tells it just the way it is. Although she is not a mother herself she has decades of experience with children and their families. She created an organization called Celebrate Kids Inc.  She really knows how to captivate an audience and bring GOD to the center of every parenting decision we make. She's a hoot to listen to but her humor is just the icing on the cake for me...her message is clear.  I truly enjoyed her and hope she returns again next year.

I also took a class on how to cut your grocery bill in half! I was once again impressed with everything Crystal Paine (the speaker) explained to us. But these words is what hit home and what I will always remember from her lecture..."Live simply so that others may simply live." Amazing!!! I would love to be able to someday soon work it into our family budget to sponsor a child from Compassion International. I am moved to tears when I see these images of children who are in so much need. It tugs at my heartstrings each time I see their sweet little faces coupled with their mismatched dirty clothes, bare feet and skinny little bodies.  Vicki and I even discussed the possibility of sharing a child someday.  I would love to be able to give and not just give but give BIG!

Angela Thomas was the closing keynote speaker and she was the one who made me most emotional. I was extremely moved by her. She was so animated in her story telling that it was difficult to not feel like you were walking right along with her. She was terrific!

Most of you reading this blog most likely work outside of the home. And I would argue that  the majority of those jobs and careers require you to take continuing education courses or some form of continued training classes to ensure you continue to grow and succeed in your job.  Well, why should the "job" of motherhood be any different?  Most would argue that this job of motherhood is one of the single most important jobs ever. So why then,  do we not feel the need to continue our education and expand our knowledge in this area as well? Why do we think we can just meander around this parenting world and hope for the best without any idea of what to do or where we might like to be at the end?  I find that Hearts At Home is the place to find your way , to continue your education, and grow as a mother.  It provides us  with direction and instruction that most of us so desperately desire and need.  It's like our GPS -as it will not leave us wondering WHERE we are going or WHEN we will get there or HOW we will get there! It shows us that God is in control and has the wheel and as long as we always remember that and turn to him we have all of the guidance we will ever need.  Please, if you are a mother who may want to attend this conference next year and you are still on the fence...talk to me.

 ST. PATRICK'S DAY

 We made homemade playdough from green kool-aid. It was so very easy and it smelled delightfully like green sour apple in our kitchen. 

 I had gotten all of my St. Patty's Day attire out from storage with full intention of decking myself out in green garb but Lane snatched it all from me within seconds and wouldn't give them up. So this is the look he sported all day long. 

 Every year I put on a St. Patrick's Day scavenger hunt for the kiddos. I love scavenger hunts and found out that I love planning them just as much as I do participating. I do wish we were able to be outdoors for this years hunt but the weather just wasn't cooperating so it was in doors but fun all the same.

  

Welcome Spring

 To welcome the arrival of spring this week- I took Lane to see the baby chicks. He loved it! We stood there watching those little fellas for about twenty minutes. Lane was highly entertained by them.

 STUCK INSIDE

 Pinterest inspired activity for a two-year old. He did this for the longest time. A paper towel tube taped to the wall and craft balls is all it consisted of.

 Lane loves to play in the water- this day we got out our little toy cars and set up a mock car wash. Fun

 We got Grant this cute little guy for Valentine's Day. Although it's a small amount, I must say it was so nice to see GREEN GRASS again!

 After his "hair cut"

RANDOM PICTURES

 This is Grant reading to Lane after the family reading night Triopia grade school hosted a few weeks ago. They both LOVE LOVE LOVE books!

 Lane rides his pillow racer almost daily. He just spins and spins and spins- he often asks, "daycare kids you you you (cause he stutters a little now) watch me spin?" And they are always so sweet to him and often end up watching him. They look thrilled don't they? LOL

 This is a picture of Lane asleep on the couch.  So sweet

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

 Grant is our little party planner of the family. He loves to create surprises for whomever is celebrating a birthday.  He built Dad a tower this year and was so proud!

 He always wants to "decorate" too- so here it is.

 The tower

 Jason's birthday cake this year was mostly sprinkles because Lane helped decorate!

For Jason's birthday he decided we should go to St. Charles for the weekend. Sandy and Roger graciously took our kids again for another weekend (they just had them the following weekend so we could go to dinner with some friends- so they have gotten a full dose of the Fricke boys this month- bless their hearts)-we stayed at the Embassy Suites and would recommend this hotel to anyone. Top notch!  While we were there we went to the casino to do some light gambling. Although we did not WIN a dime it was still a ton of fun and we made some great memories.


I know it's been a while since I last blogged. Been busy. Just some updates...Lane likes to randomly call people "dude", "sir" or "Jose." I now know that I use the phrases, "no sir" and "no way Jose" way too often. LoL.  He still loves reading his little books and is sleeping in his big boy bed well now that we rigged it so he wouldn't fall out anymore. He had some problems there for a while where he was falling out quite often. We rolled some blankets and placed them under his fitted sheet and it has worked like a charm and he hasn't fallen out since.  He loves to hide under his blankets and pop out and yell "boo"- sometimes his "boo" turns into "boo-yah"-he is constantly cracking us up.

Grant continues to excel at school. Especially in reading and math!! He has learned so much in such a short period of time and we couldn't be more proud of him. A letter came in the mail today that notified us that the Regional Office Of Education selected his poem as a winner and he will be awarded later in April for his achievement. His teacher placed some poem he had written at school in this writing contest and he was selected to be awarded for it. He was so proud of himself when we read him the letter this afternoon.  He has a passion for learning that I only pray will continue throughout his school years.  He must be anxious to turn 6 as he told our neighbor lady who was over for a visit last night that he was 6 years old. What? I had to correct him and he just smiled and said, "well, not yet." Stinker.  He's getting excited for t-ball season to start up and is especially excited for the offical start of SPRING- tomorrow.  Aren't we all?

Well, I have kept you reading for far too long- until next time, take care.