Under My Wing

In about a month and a half, I am going to have to send my first born off to Kindergarten!  Am I excited? For the most part, yes I am.  Am I scared? Yes, A little part of me is. 

After I gave birth to Jayden and decided to stay home, it changed my life forever.  Not only for the fact that my adult conversation was not happening, but also I suffered from post partum depression.  I didn’t have a severe case, but I had a case big enough to change who I am today.  Being in a dark hole is not fun.  You just feel like the world is falling in on you.  Then you snap to it and realize you have a tiny baby that is counting on you.  Jayden’s first year of life was rough on me, but he was an awesome baby. 

I will never regret staying at home.  Yes, there were times that I just wanted to scream and leave the house.  Got to like the hand-off at 5:30 to your husband and say, “He’s yours now.”   I liked being at home, but I missed my work.  I liked being at home because I got to see every little new thing he learned.  I will never forget that.  I loved all the fun things we got to do together: napping, reading, playing with tractors, watching tv, enjoying the outdoors, or doing crafts!

Jayden has always been an easy going kid.  Doesn’t take much to entertain him, yet he likes to be busy.  He has a gentle heart and a gentle spirit.  Yes, he has his moments of trouble and being naughty.

Under my wing he has been many things. Safe and secure.  Strong and week.  Happy and sad.  Shy and talkative.  Brave and scared. Under my wing he has learned to be the best boy he can be.  He has learned to treat his friends with kindness and respect, just they way he would want to be treated.  He has learned to be social and loving and caring.  He has learned to protect the values he comes from and knows right from wrong.  Under my wing, I raised a boy that I am proud to call mine.

 

Now in a month and a half, when I walk into that school and let him out from under my wing, I hope he holds high all the things I have taught him.  I pray he does his best, treats his friends with kindness.  And in return, I hope his friends do the same.  Kids can be mean, I just hope my tendered hearted boy can stand up for himself and be that little man I know he is!  And when I walk away form him that day, I hope he doesn’t see the tear in my eye as I will miss hanging out with him everyday.

Josie turns 4

Four years ago today, my daughter was born.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was sooooo happy to have my baby girl.

Today, I would not change her for anything. More and more, everyday, she reminds me of myself when I was little.  From her crooked toes to her smiling face.  She makes me smile yet she can make me mad. She’s my girly-girl yet my tomboy.  She’s my sunshine yet can be my dark clouds.  I love her personality and the funny things she can come up with.  I love when she tells me she loves me.  I would rather not have her high pitched screams, but what girl doesn’t scream? :)  I love her curls even though they are a ton of work!  I love her when she is at her happiest and I love her at her saddest.  Most of all, she’s my little girl and I can’t wait to see what year 4 brings her! 

Happy Birthday to my Peanut!

Girls Weekend

Last weekend, a couple of my friends and I headed off to Minneapolis for some much needed girl time.  It was awesome to be able to talk about what we wanted to talk about, eat what we wanted without sharing and just be ourselves.  Thanks to our husbands for letting us go!

I have been looking for something to store all our craft stuff in for a long time.  My front room needed a makeover and a more inviting appearance.  Well, of course, IKEA pulled through for me.  If there was one in our area I would be broke! I bought a cubed bookcase and thought about what I could use to store our craft stuff on it.  Between the three of us, we came up with the perfect, eclectic mix of holders!  I got fabric cubes, plastic cubes, flower pots and some buckets!  I am loving my new craft storage and it will be nice and organized!  I also found an area rug that works perfect in my front room!  I have been looking for one of those for a long time as well.  With my front room complete, I am ready to share the end result!

Before:

After:

It’s going to be easier to do crafts with the kids and know where everything is, yet give my front room a more inviting, grown up look!

Can’t wait for our next girls weekend!  I thank God for the friends I have and for the husband who lets me be ME!

The Great Outdoors

This week I took the kids and went on our annual camping trip with my family. The weather was much better this year as last year it rained pretty much every day! I love camping, but I get awfully bored. I just don't do well sitting around. But it was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed getting to spend time with a couple of their cousins.

 

 

 

 

We took the kids down to the beach and let them play in the water. Both were little fishes! Of course my daughter still has to strike a pose in the water. Jayden originally wanted to go to the beach so he could play with his tractors in the sand. The water became more enticing and we couldn't get him out of if!

 

 

 

Josie of course is good at striking poses wherever she may be! She was becoming a really good table dancer too. Her future looks bright! :) I'm hoping I don't find her on our kitchen table one of these days. She had fun dancing with her cousin and learning all sorts of new fun moves! Fun to watch for sure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took along the gigantic marshmallows! Those were a big hit, yet messy! But it was some fun entertainment watching the kids try and eat them.

 

 

 

 

Jayden took off his traning wheels the day before we left to camp. Let's just say his is a pro now! He loves to bike and is doing a really good job. It was nice he had a partner to help him out! I'm waiting for his first big wipeout. Then he might not like it as much.

Can't wait for next year! Always a good time hanging out with family. I had a little boy missing his daddy a little too much, so hopefully next year he can join us!

I'm really thankful for two kids that like to be outside and enjoy the summer weather!

The Beginning

Welcome everyone! Here it is!! My very own website! I am not quite for sure yet where my direction is going to go on here, but stay tuned to find out! It will be a combination of journaling, what my kids are up to, crafts we do, rennovations we make, and adventures we take. All in all, it's going to be about our life in the Minnis house!
I am really excited to get started. I used to be an avid person who liked to journal. I haven't done that since I was a single girl, living her life, trying to figure out what I was going to do with it. I'm sure I could go down to the basement and dig up some embarrassing moments about myself and others! I thought blogging would be a good way to get back into writing the history of my life.
I can't wait to share the crazy things my kids do, the wonderful adventures they take me on, and the crafts that we make and do!
My first adventure this week will be camping! Should be a good time with family! The kids are looking forward to it!
One more thing! Please make sure to check out my new Etsy site! My daughter has wonderful, amazing curls that inspired me to make some cute hair accessories for little girls! It's Kim's Curly Qs! Enjoy and share with your friends! www.etsy.com/shop/kimscurlyqs