Alayna's Adventures

Isaiah has a newfound joy for story telling.  He asks John and I to tell him stories, and he also enjoys retelling stories that he hears and loves.  So we have told him the story of how mommy and daddy met, the story of when he was born and when his sister was born, and about the time that he drove mommy crazy when he was a colicky infant and wouldn’t stop crying in the backseat when mommy was stuck in rush hour traffic on Route 51.   That one was a nailbiter... ;) Just a few weeks ago, while he was taking a bath, he asked me to tell him a story, a new story.   And, well, I remembered a whale of a tale that he hadn't heard yet.   It just so happens that this story began eight years ago, one day late in August.    It’s a crazy story about a young woman who walked out in front of a minivan that was going at least 25 miles an hour.   She got hit, flew 35 feet in the air like a rag doll, landed in oncoming traffic, and survived t...

Two thousand and twelve was a year of adjusting for me.  I t was a year that began with me quitting my job and finding my new "work" at home.  I knew when God nudged me to begin my blog shortly before Annika was born, that my job title would change from HR to SAHM plus something more.  God has stretched and encouraged me in blogging in this year, and has more for me in writing in 2013.  My fodder to blog about has been life, period.  My loves, my fears, my passions, my God, my kids, and my hubby - life as an adventure.  And two thousand and twelve was an adventure, a pretty good one as a family...  We had mostly ups and only a few downs, all of which I'll recount for you here.  Annika turned one.  Isaiah turned three.  They both are exerting their independence in various ways, ones that can sometimes drive this momma mad.  But it's part of growing up.  Life is a separation process from the time that the umbilical cord is cut...

When the kids are babes, it's time to establish holiday traditions, whether it's the ones that you did when you were young or starting brand new ones for your family.  It's an exciting thing to do, and John and I have really enjoyed dreaming about and starting holiday traditions that we want Isaiah and Annika to reminisce about with their own children.  We have a few that are really fun, and I'll share them (hopefully) in a few blogs over the Christmas season.  First, my favorite - the Christmas tree!   Our FAVORITE Christmas traditions is going to pick out a tree at a local Christmas tree farm and cutting it down ourselves.  We have gone to a few local farms, but the one we have enjoyed the most is Candle Tree Farm just outside of Washington, PA ( and also on Facebook! ).  It's a short drive from Pittsburgh, but totally worth the trip!  They have a really neat setup that makes finding a tree more of an experience for the whole fami...