SIL

I am SO grateful for my SIL (sister-in-law). She is honestly SUCH a lifesaver! She has been nothing but gracious and helpful since she has moved down to Omaha and she is such a good auntie! She has agreed to watch Easton today, part of tomorrow, and Wednesday for us because our daycare provider had some family things come up :( I was in a bit of a bind and was going to have to take some time off work to watch E, but Katie graciously offered her services to help me out!
I am also grateful for her attitude about things! She is always there to listen to me when I need to vent and offers up some good advice too! I am fortunate enough to have such a great relationship with her!

So, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU KT :)

TGIF

Today, I am thankful for FRIDAYS :) This week was a bit of a rough one and I am just happy that it's the weekend.
I am going to relax tonight while eating Papa Murphys Pizza, drinking a few beers, and playing farkle with some wonderful people! Then, tomorrow, I'm going to hopefully sleep in and hang out with my little man since we haven't seen much of each other this past week (work has been CRAZY). I can't wait to set up our Christmas tree and some other decorations while listening to Christmas music and making homemade rolled out Sugar Cookies with Katie :)
I'll be sure to post some pictures!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

Family

Friends come and go, but family is forever.

I can't remember where I first heard this quote, but it is so true. I have had friends come in to my life and then go out of my life. I have had my fair share of friendships that didn't survive the hardships and trials of "life," and it's still disappointing at this time in my life.

BUT... no matter how many friends don't survive, I can sincerely look at my family members and be comforted in knowing that I will ALWAYS have them. Family is one thing that (no matter how much I hate to admit it), I have taken for granted many times before. I personally think that is part of the learning process - to take family members for granted, or not always treat them as you should - but they still have your back.

With that said, I would like to thank all of my family members: Thank you for all of your unconditional love and guidance through the years. Thank you for the memories I have been given. Thank you for believing in me and showing me what love is all about. I have wonderful role models to learn from when raising Easton, and I can't thank you all enough :)

Hubby

I am extremely thankful for my husband :) I honestly don't know what I would do without him. He can always make me laugh no matter the situation. He snaps me back to reality when need be and he genuinely cares about others. He has adjusted gracefully to our new addition and is a wonderful daddy to Easton. I can already picture them throwing a baseball back and forth, or shooting pucks in the driveway in a few years. Marcus has taken on a good amount of responsibility with Easton and doesn't complain (much ;) 

I am grateful to have a husband who is involved in his son's life and works hard to help me out when I need it. Being parents isn't an easy feat - I've learned that one very quickly... it is rewarding, however, and Marcus makes it easier for me :)

One child

A friend of mine had the idea of posting things she is thankful for on her blog. I, too, thought this would be a good idea - and it will also give me something to write about almost every day :)
So, here you go...

Children make you want to start life over.  ~Muhammad Ali

I am thankful for my amazing son, Easton. He, like the quote states, makes me want to start my life over. There are a few things I wish to change - one being the way I see life. Growing up, I didn't take in the beauty of life until I had Easton. Sure, I walked on the wild side and had great times with great people growing up, but I never stopped to really "smell the roses." Now, being a mom, I have started taking in "the little things." When Easton laughs, it turns my mood around instantly. When he smiles at me from just hearing my voice across the room, my heart melts a little bit more for him. When he cries, I can't help but wonder what more I can do for him. This little guy has completely changed my attitude about life and I'm not sure there will ever be enough words that I can say to thank him. He is a miracle and he isn't even aware of it yet. He has so much life ahead of him and I am one who will be guiding him through it. It's a bit of a scary thought, but in all reality, I was chosen to be his mother, and because I was given such a wonderful gift, I am going to embrace that with everything I have.

12 weeks

Can you believe my little guy is going to be 12 weeks this coming Wednesday???! To be completely honest, I have NO idea where the time has gone. I have been back to work for just over a month now and Easton is almost 3 months old! What a whirlwind this past month has been!!! He has started giggling and it is the CUTEST thing ever to hear :) All we have to do is sing to him and he just cracks up. I hope to get a video of that soon!
This weekend we will be heading up North to Hallock for deer hunting. It is also my mother's birthday, so that should be fun to celebrate with her. Easton is going to have to sport his camouflage snowsuit for the "colder" weather up there. Hopefully I will be able to see some of my friends as well! (Anyone who reads this, let me know if you'll be around :)

Here are some pictures to share and a video.

Easton with his cousin Dylan

Smiling at mommy

Look at those cheeks!

We love tummy time ;)

Trying out the bumbo

Such a happy baby in the morning

Go Sioux

In Remembrance...

"When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure." 

On Monday October 24, 2011, Grandma Rosie passed away. For those that knew her were honestly, in my opinion, better people. She had a certain "kick" to her, no matter how many birthdays she celebrated. Rosie was a very generous, giving, kind-hearted, selfless individual who told you how it was. She was a mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt. She loved to entertain and make tons of food for others. She loved her family more than anything. Just the way she looked at her grandchildren (all 13 of them), or the way she said "Marky"... you could see and hear the unconditional love she held for each and every one of them. She had one of the biggest hearts and was always thinking of others, as well as putting others before herself. I was blessed to have known her for 4 short years... I just wish Easton would have had the privilege of getting to know his great grandmother as well. I know that he would have been extremely loved by her - and I regret them never meeting. She will be greatly missed by many and thought of often.

Along with Rosie's funeral this past weekend was Easton's baptism. It really is true that "life goes on". We had the baptism planned for over a month, and when we got the call about Rosie's passing, I wondered if we should reschedule the baptism. I was told "absolutely not." When I think more about it, this past weekend was a perfect example of the mysterious ways God works. He gained one amazing lady... and in return he gave our family the gift of baptizing Easton. Rosie's 81 years of life ended, and Easton's life is just beginning. The baptism was a positive way to end a sad weekend, and I don't think Rosie would have had it any other way.

I have quite a few pictures of the baptism to share:

With Pastor Colin

Grandpa and Grandma Plaine

4 generations

4 generations

My sweet, happy baby

My family

:)

Easton's godparents

So, all in all, October was a pretty good month. I went back to work and Easton and I got back on a schedule. Easton is doing really well :) He is loving daycare and is smiling and making noises more and more every day. I absolutely adore him! The other kids at daycare try to make him smile/laugh and this one little girl sings to him all the time. They are always excited to see Easton and sad to see him go. I think Karen's daycare is a good fit for him and we are very happy :)

Easton was a pumpkin for Halloween :)

November is a busy month for us as we will be making a couple trips up North... one for deer hunting and the other for Thanksgiving. It's my  mom's birthday as well as Katie's birthday.. the big 21!!!! So there is lots to celebrate this month :) I'm also looking forward to this month because that means I can start listening to Christmas music and decorating our house for the holidays!!! My favorite time of year :) I will also be looking for fun baking ideas for the holidays - so if you have any, feel free to share! I'm hoping my friend, Cassie, will update some on her blog for me ;)

I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week - REMINDER: turn your clocks back an hour on Sunday!!