He got me!

I knew something was going on. We'd just celebrated 8 years together as a married couple, and I was told not to make any plans for the weekend. What I didn't know was how swept off my feet I was about to be. Friday, I began to pack my bag, and it went kinda like this....
K: "So, will I need jeans?"
J: "Maybe."
K: "Should I bring a swimsuit?"
J: "If you want to."

As you can imagine, I started to get a little tested. Not to be rude and all, but it's okay to surprise me... not okay to annoy me. After a LONG process of choosing outfits, then changing my mind, I finally settled on a couple get-ups, and off we went. First stop: dropping off the kids. Again, I was clueless. Didn't know who's house they were going to, what they were going to do, whether or not sunscreen was packed or not, or even how long until I could see them again. {Later I'd uncover that we were dropping them off at Nana and Grandpa's for one night and they'd be enjoying a fun evening at the ball park  Absolutely no reason to worry.}

We continued our drive south through town, and Jarin asked what was on my mind. I was totally thrown for a loop. Downtown Cedar Rapids? Nope, we're now out of town. Des Moines? Nope he headed west just to throw me off before exiting off the interstate. Iowa City? Nope, passed that. Quad Cities it must be! Sure enough, we exited near our old house, filled up on gas, and ... back on the road! You have to be kidding me, I thought. It was now two hours since leaving our house, and I still had no flippin' clue where my fabulous-jack-ass-of-a-husband was taking me.

At this point, I was getting irked. In case you didn't know, I love to plan. When that control is taken away from me.... ugh! I was confused. Jarin smirked. I was pissed. Jarin laughed.

And yet part of me was loving every moment of the excitement!

Finally, he gives me the go ahead to open the glove compartment. Inside I find the most perfect card with the following message:

"To my beautiful bride of 8 years.... These have been the best 8 years I could ask for. Here is to a great weekend and many more happy years. Love you. Jarin"

And then inside are two tickets to the Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, the Band Perry, Jerrod Nieman, and Chris Young concert at Wrigley Field!!! Holy ba-donk-a-donk! This was going to be awesome! But instead, I looked at Jarin and said, "Aw, you could have told me to bring my cowboy boots."
At the next exit, Jarin pulls into the outlet mall, pops the trunk, pulls out by cowboy boots and says, "now you have to find an outfit to match." I was totally overwhelmed! The pressure of shopping in a short amount of time was killing me. But, I did good, shopped quick, spent his money, and we were back on the road.

The night was amazing! We took our time with dinner and drinks before we entered.

We were among an enormous crowd of people... (and, believe me, the nose bleeds didn't bother me one bit!!)

We danced, we sang, we kissed, we drank! And by the end of the night, we even ran into a couple of our favorite people from college. (Don't mind our "googly" eyes -- it's still a cute pic!!)

It was by far one of the best nights that we've spent together in a long time. No interruptions, the time was ours, and the experience was a blast. We stayed in a beautiful hotel downtown Chicago and spent the next morning walking Navy Pier and talking as if it were our first date.

Amazing, scary, cliche, or crazy as it sounds, I learned a lot about my husband of 8 years in just a 36 hour span. And I think the same could be said for him. For any married couple out there... take time together, just the two of you.... go somewhere you can talk, trust, open up, ask questions and hear each other out. You will do wonders for your marriage and for each other.

Time to SLOW down!

If the last month is any preview of how fast the next 10 years are going to go, I'm screwed.

Okay, scratch that... let me start in a more optimistic frame...

Memories are made of moments that keep us living. Moments that drive our days and give us something to wake up to. But they also make us realize just how fast each year seems to go. Here's a recap of the special moments of our life during the the last few weeks...

My first baby turned six years old!

To celebrate he got donuts for breakfast, a visit from mom and McDonalds at school for lunch, and his favorite Happy Joe's personal pizza for dinner. Aunt Meggie even made him the famous Cheap Cake (recipe of his great-grandma Max).

Then we got dare-devilish and took him and four boys to the Kernel's game for a little Schucks action! Cade threw out the first pitch, all the kids were on the jumbotron, cake was delivered, it was hot enough to have cups of ice delivered all day, we went into extra innings and finally we beat those Quad City River Bandits! Now, that is a good baseball game!

Big milestones were also hit at school. Cade completed kindergarten and his teacher, Mrs. Hoefer, was a true inspiration to him. I was amazed to see how he developed his academics in such a short period. Going from the inability to color inside the lines just 10 months ago to writing sentences and reading books independently now. Of course, his favorite subject was gym!

And then there is Layna finishing her first year of preschool. She loves to be artsy, creative, and sing! Her teachers taught her so much about manners and taking turns. It's obvious that she is ready for a full five-day week of preschool next year.

Finally, Jarin and I celebrated 8 years of marriage. Seriously?! I think back to 12 years ago, when I met him... And how he has made me the happiest woman. And with that I realize how fast this is all taking place and the importance of tracking each one of these little instances. For some day, I will blink and this blessed life that I have will be treasures in my heart.

Making a Life

I had heard how awful it was going to be... that I was "signing up" to be the lonely wife for a quarter of every year for the rest of my life. I tried to be tough and resilient. I failed. I'm talking about busy season and it was my future-husband's career choice.

My first experience was 9 years ago. For the most part, everyone was right. I spent a lot of time that year by myself, feeling bad for me, lonely, bored, and tired of not seeing my husband. I was newly married and didn't live up the romanticism that was supposed to come after a honeymoon. Instead, I would often go to bed by myself and rustle in the covers until he got home ... which typically didn't happend until well after 1 or 2 in the morning.

Then we started a family, and I had my hands full with a young infant, and then two. But he was still working frequently, and often into the nights and weekends. I became a single mom. Well, that was my own perception. I was choosing careers for myself that didn't provide a challenge, but offered flexibility for the kids. I was walking around in pity for myself.

After about three years of this, someone shared the following statement with me:

"never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life"

I took that and ran with it. Literally, I had such faith in this quote that I had it made into a decal for the wall at the bottom of my staircase. Here, my husband could see it every morning as he walked out of the house. It was a reminder for him, and I, that there were other things more important than one's work.

Somewhere between 2007 and now, I've shifted my thoughts. It's not about me. And frankly, it's not about the kids. They are adaptable to change. This pattern of work hours is normal to them. And, let's face it, they remain safe and loved by me (or whoever it is that may need to pick them up from school in a pinch).

It's really about my husband. It's about the effort that he puts forth to be great at his job. It's the example that he is setting about what it means to be a professional and work for what you want. It's about his love for his career and passion for what he does. It's about the sacrifices that are made to support those you love. It's about his lack of time with the kids (and me) because of all this, and his disappointment when he can't get home in time to tuck them in or kiss me goodnight.

And while I still believe in the value of making a life for yourself, sometimes a life includes a career, a passion, and balance. Balance that my husband has found for him and us. After nearly 10 years of experience in this whirlwind of travel, long hours and juggling of schedules, we've accomplished yet another busy season. And they get easier each year. I contribute that to finally understanding how important this is to him and our family, how proud I am to see him succeed, and how appreciative we are for all that he gives up for us.

Think about what making a life means to you; accept that everyone's definitions are different; and decide whether you accomplishing that.

Welcome Hayden Ranae!

They say that only an aunt can give hugs like a mother, can keep secrets like a sister, and share love like a friend. After welcoming Hayden Ranae to the world on Wednesday, it made sense. She is everything perfect. I have spent the last two days admiring her during each free moment I've had. I've watched her face expressions and listened to her whimpers. I saw her attempt to nurse her first time, laid awake late at night thinking about her and reminiscing about her smell, fingers, hair, and smile.

I can't wait to embrace her in my arms with love, watch her grow into a young lady, witness her attitude and watch her parents get frustrated, be there when she needs a non-judgemental ear, support her in her life decisions, encourage her to pursue dreams and let her know how much I love her.

Hayden, you've already changed my life, and you don't even know it yet. In just 24 hours, and I already know that you'll be amazing! I can't wait for this world to meet you and see all that you have to offer.

Hayden Ranae Hodgins

April 11, 2012 7:30 p.m.

6 lbs 4 oz ~ 19 in

Pinterest Innovation

I'm really not the creative type. Any personal ingenious comes from someone else’s inspiration. But, hey, I was taught to not reinvent the wheel, so I do my best. I rattled my brain for a short while before realizing that the key to baby-shower-success is Pinterest. They have everything from décor to food. After logging in, it was a piece of cake (without the cake!)

I started with the nursery theme "You are My Sunshine"...

Added a cute handmade invitation that sold for $15 each on Etsy,,,

Messed up, uh, I mean, tore, ripped, shredded, uh created a few beautiful tissue poofs,,,

Combined those with the thoughtful "Wishes for Baby" hand-written by a five year old and distributed to all 50+ attendees at the shower...

Added a diaper trike for the Harley-loving parents, which sells for $65 online...

Borrowed my daughters bed canopy for a soft flair and reused the bazillion cake stands left over from the wedding...

And wah-lah!! We have a beautiful brunch, in a rented space, that served our baby shower needs for one of the most special ladies in my life... my sis.

Take 1, 2.... 6, 7...

It was such a fun night at the Hansen's -- and, of course, we celebrated with ice cream!!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

One of my goals as a mom is to teach my children respect. Respect in the biggest form possible -- manners, thoughtfulness, sharing, empathy, listening, appreciation, turn-taking -- and giving. Coincidentally, Lent seems to be the perfect season to encourage the opportunity to give.

So, last week, we attended Ash Wednesday mass (as we do every year), but this year on the way home, we explained that the ashes were a sign of our repentance to God... or in our words to the kids, "a promise to God that we wouldn't do bad things". I didn't anticipate that the kids would fully understand what Lent was all about, but the more we talked about it, the more they listened and were intrigued.

That night we made our commitments. Jarin gave up snacking between meals, I decided to withdraw from caffeine, and the kids agreed to say no to candy for the next 40 days. "Oh, this will last a whole 2 days," I thought to myself! Well, 8 days later and we're doing pretty good (other than Jarin is hungry, I'm tired, and we're both crabby!) The kids though, have been pretty faithful -- but quick to explain that fruit snacks and cookies are not considered candy!

Caden has also added a new sacrifice to his list. He's given up "loving up on girls!" Seriously. At first, wondered if I heard him right, but I did. He's sticking to it too, and barely can give hugs and kisses to mom or grandma until Easter! Still working on explaining that one, but overall, a good start to the "giving" theme. Giving up things we don't need in our lives has been pretty easy. Now, we are on to tackling the conversations about giving more to others....

Today was the perfect, unfortunate segway. We received a letter at home yesterday that Sailor's dad was killed in a snowmobile accident over the weekend. You probably don't know Sailor. I don't either. But she is in Caden's kindergarten class. Five years old with a brother in 4th grade, and now without a father. I had the note from school sitting on the counter this morning when Caden brought it over to me and dropped his head without saying a word. I asked him if he knew what that sheet of information was about and he said yes.

As he stood there silent, I promised him that today after school we would get some cash to contribute to the fund for Sailor and her family. He somberly mumbled, "okay" and continued putting on his coat. As I left the house, I thought about that situation and all the support that I would need if I were in that mother's shoes. I truly can't imagine.

When I came home tonight, I learned that not only did my husband stop on the way to school for cash, but Caden reached into his own piggy bank before leaving and chose to donate $5.00 of his own money too. At that moment, it was obvious that we've been doing the right thing as parents. I was so proud of Cade and the respect that he showed, not only to the poor Schultz family, but to me.

Celebrating As A Girl Should

Jan 2012 arrived and Miss Sassy Pants decided that it was going to be a Birthday WEEK! Right on sweetie, as it should be! And so this is how we celebrated...

Monday Layne spent the day shopping at Coral Ridge with mom and Grandma. We did a little Victoria's Secret and a little Build-A-Bear. Made everyone happy, really. Okay, so she doesn't look super thrilled here, but that is just because she was mad at me for capturing the excess of lipstick that she had on, in addition to mom's face powder!

Tuesday after coming home from school, Alayna found that a birthday present was delivered early. A new bed and dresser set AND Hello Kitty sheets! What could be better!? She was a happy camper to finally transition from the crib to a twin bed. (Okay, so I know she is 4 now, and was still in a crib size bed... whatever.)

And I thought she'd look so big in this bed... oh no! Not when she brings her whole toy box to bed with her!

Wednesday was a tougher day for celebration, because we spent about 2 hours at an optometrist getting her eyes checked, dialated, and examined. Sure enough, she has astigmatism at 2 diopters, which is a moderate level, but requires corrective lenses.

Thankfully, she got to spend the rest of the day with her Nana and Hello Kitty sunglasses. I hear she was pretty bossy and deliberately gave directions as she saw fit for the day! Thanks Nana for putting up with the princess! :)

Thursday was finally the big 4th birthday! We had walking tacos and ice cream sundaes at the house and she enjoyed lots of fun time with her family she loves the most!

Friday was a very special day. After getting picked up early from school, Aly and mommy ordered the Hello Kitty cupcakes that have been talked about all too highly for the past month. Next stop was the Optical Shop to pick out her first pair of specs!

Biases aside, can she really get any cuter?

Saturday was low key, but we had fun finishing off her bedroom, putting all the fun new clothes away, cleaning out the toy room, storing old baby toys, and making room for the new. Oh, and of course she had to go shopping with Grandma for a new coat and baby (as though Christmas and birthday hadn't brought enough! And did I mention that we were just cleaning out the toy room? Oh, pardon me, it's her birthday week!) Plus, she insisted that we bake cookies and paint our nails... with sparkles of course!

Sunday brought the actual birthday party for friends at the Play Station. 10 little ones joined Aly for a big celebration of her first four years! Cupcakes, tunnels, presents and slides -- everyone had loads of fun.

Although, she wouldn't thank anyone for the gifts or for coming, she really did appreciate all her friends being there. We're still working on the snotty, entitled, sassy attitude that hits at the most inopportune times. But, as you can see she did have an awesome time and crashed hard once we got in the car.

In all, she knows how to raise our blood pressure, but she also does pretty well at melting our hearts. We couldn't be more happier to have this little princess in our lives. Thank you Alayna for all that you are to us, the patience that you create and expire, and the love that you bring to our family!

The Toast

As usual, we headed to our friends' for New Years. This year though, it wasn't about potlucks, pizza for kids, a little confetti and grab a horn. Oh no. This year the sitter was hired (to stay the night), the boys did the grocery shopping (and cooking), and we were treated like kings and queens in the Fortune's beautifully remodeled home. Just a quick glance at this feast, and you'll know that we had a good time.

We exchanged gifts and even had a few mean games of Left, Right, Center. We kicked off a dance party that lasted through the night. It was good to see that at we all still have our moves, even after climbing past 30!

There was plenty of bubbly to share, which brought toasts to good friends, times to remember, nights to forget, and years to come. And it wouldn't quite be New Years without the confetti!

Here's to wishing all of you a fortunate, healthy, and meaningful 2012. With all our love,