101 List: Updated

START DATE: June 1st, 2014

END DATE: Feb. 26th, 2017

101 Dreams: 

1.      Camp in the backyard

2.      Take a camping trip

3.      Sleepover with boys June 2014

4.      Have a third baby

5.      Update kitchen (lights, knobs, open shelves for dishes)

6.      Finish painting the house

7.      Ride on a boat July 2014 (in Lake Geneva)

8.    Make it up for Traverse Cherry Festival

9.    Go to a Fly in (even better if there are pancakes included)

10. Own two dressers

11. Own a set of pearls

12. Celebrate the birth of a friend's baby the week it's born

13. Surprise my family

14. Stay over night with my sister at college (how is that already happening)

15. One week of no TV

16. Make a quilt

17. Learn a whole song on the mandolin

18. See the Vespers in concert

19. Ride a train Dec 2014

20. Give cookies to the neighbors for Christmas  Dec 2014

21. Take a snap shot phone course

22. Buy a second lens for the canon

23. Make a croissant

24. Make macaroons

25. Replace Reefs (sandals)

26. Send happy mail Aug. 2014 ~ Participated in the MugSwap

27. Make it to the ocean as a family

28. Start a reading curriculum website

29. Tattoo (but only if meaningful)

30. Make sure Eric gets a handgun Oct 2014

31. Go to the shoot range with Eric

32. Make homemade pasta (if possible with Ppa)

33. Make a rose cake

34. Support a friend's adoption

35. Build a fire pit in the backyard

36. Decide on what to go for schooling for kindergarten

37. Personally dress up with the kids for Halloween

38. Host a family holiday

39. Send a care package to friends serving overseas

40. Buy a cow

41. Have chickens in the backyard 

42. Grow a vegetable garden July 2014 (first veggies!)

43. Make a will

44. Find a way to organize the incoming mail

45. Pick blueberries July 2014 (Johnson's)

46. Stay at a bed and breakfast with Eric

47. Repaint the outside of the house/garage and shutters

48. Meet the Campbell's in Shipshawana

49. Go to the Fort Wayne Zoo

50. Ride a Polar Express in Pajamas

51. Browse a bookstore without kids

52. Go to the dentist (I need to but hate to)

53. Help with a buddy program

54. Get the kids swim lessons

55. Attend a professional football game

56. Hot dogs and a baseball game

57. Play in the rain June 2014 and with kids! 

58. Go on a date with another couple

59. Eat food from a food truck

60. Build a snowman

61. Use my skis again

62. See a US National Monument

63. Make it through an entire devotional

64. Work on a house project with Eric

65. Take one picture a day for a month on the Canon

66. Get both boys sleeping in one room June/July 2014

67. Make the office more user friendly for everyone in the family

68. Take a spontaneous road trip – and not be controlling about details June 2014: Father's Day in South Bend

69. Plan our 10yr anniversary trip

70. Attend a “Be Crafty” workshop

71. Go to a women’s conference

72. Dance at the Wildhorse Saloon

73. Host a cookout

74. Get closet organizers for master bedroom

75. Make all meals at home for a month

76. Spend the night at a friend’s house (like high school times) Aug. 2014 with Erin

77. See a Broadway musical

78. Read a work of classic literature

79. Visit friends in St. Louis

80. Go to a drive-in movie

81. Make apple pie from apples I’ve picked

82. Pay for a stranger’s meal

83. Adopt a Christmas child or family

84. Clean up pinterest for things I really want/want to do June 2014

85. Buy myself flowers when feeling down

86. Find my dad a really awesome gift instead of the typical gift card  Dec 2014 (Comic Book Picture)

87. Attend an outdoor concert

88. Get outdoor lighting for the backyard

89. Find a way to get family/friends birthdays organized (and not on the kitchen calendar) Dec 2014 *thanks to two family members getting them all written down, i was able to compel one list! 

90. Read and implement tips from a photography book

91. Do something new with my hair (low-lights finally??) Nov 2014 *eric calls them my 80s style bangs

92. Plan meals for a month

93. Sew a baby gift for a new baby

94. Sew something for myself

95. Visit and touch animals at a farm with the boys (Petting Zoo Goats - Aug 2014)

96. Catalog the books I’ve read

97. Sponsor a child

98. Get a King Size Bed (my husband may never go for this one)

99. Celebrate with friends and family for my 30^th

100.  Send a color-specific gift

101.  Climb a lighthouse (even better if it’s one I’ve never been in) Sept 2014 (Grand Traverse Lighthouse

Cayden...A two year old!

Cayden is two plus a little extra at this point. Last year, one year felt like an accomplishment with two. This second year feels like this is normal. That some of the struggles of having two are just what we do. That's not to say it's not hard sometimes but with age comes growth (for both boys). Some of the ease of Cayden's second year is due to Timothy's maturity and growth - things like I only have to buckle Cayden in the car because Tim can buckle himself. :) Only one pair of shoes to put on (unless it's tie sneakers) because Tim can squeeze his on. Clothes, bathroom business taken care of on his own...I think you get the point. I guess this allows me some of those small moments as Tim runs out the door to the car alone with Cade to pour into him through the little things. After the small tantrum of getting up to the changing table, we can talk or sing or he can tell me about things he sees in his books - just the two of us. Moments alone with a second aren't as often as a first but I think I realize how special they are when the come. And when you have a first who enjoys staying home, there are evening trips to the store alone with Cade. I like those moments. 

Every day Cayden is talking more. And he's surprises us when he communicates so clearly. I hope he's not offended by us laughing; our brains sometimes can't handle how cute it is that he is talking with understanding. Tim was our guitar man, but Cayden is all singer. 

Some of my favorite words are...

*Bluebell = doorbell or belly button

*Byebye Sodo = byebye I don't know your name

*Paha = Pasta

He also says "Stay in bed" after we finish songs at night time because he's transitioning to a big bed...in Tim's room! I'm not going into detail here (maybe another post in five years), but it's actually happening. They've had two nights sleeping together and are split up around 5/6a in the morning while Cayden finishes sleeping in the crib. (Like today, he's still asleep at 9:10a and Tim was up at 6a.) He is like his mama in that aspect - we like sleeping in. He hasn't given up late morning sleeping in, and he's still napping about 90% of the time. He'll take a rest occasionally where he just talks, yells, sings, lays until brother wakes up. (Ironic how my four year old naps when Cade's not napping...)

Cayden is a more tender child. He cries easily when hurt physically or emotionally. He runs to mama saying "hurt" looking for a kiss and confirming it's "bedder" (better) once receiving one. Makes me smile and melts my heart. 

He adores his brother and tries to do nearly everything Tim does. They don't need any other toys than trains, duplos, and books. Throw in a semi-truck and they are peachy. One of my favorite moments they share is reading books in the crib which has recently transferred over to the new bed my grandpa built. (A big shout out to my Grandpa Buck who built them a beautiful bunk bed with a roll out trundle-type bed.) Cayden wishes this was a trampoline but I'd rather not visit the ER. While a great napper at home, it's rare he will sleep in the car. And it's only 40min if he does vs. his 1.5-3.5hr crib naps.

"Watch show" is what he says for TV time. He really likes Cat in the Hat, Thomas, and Daniel Tiger these days. And his favorite book is "Go! Go! Go! Stop!" and he yells out Go and Stop when reading it together or alone. 

He calms easily when left with people and is fearless when it comes to the park! He'll climb to the highest spot and slide down the biggest slides. And he looks like a tiny guy doing it. He loves being outside or inside. He does like to tempt his fate by pushing the boundaries and running his tyke cars toward the street. Whenever there is a dog outside, he's anxious to touch it. His love for dogs is seriously trying to convince me to get a dog...

He's picky but will randomly surprise us by eating the broccoli he's refused for months. BUT the boy can eat when he wants the food selection. I am told often that I have good eaters. I usually just see them stuffing food in their faces. :) He likes to use utensils but is easily frustrated when it's not doing what he wants - getting the food into his mouth! Last year, he didn't mind getting wiped down after meals - he hates it now. I've cut out much of his dairy intake as it seems to inflame his running nose and congestion. And after ear infections, tubes, and two round of pneumonia, we do not need anything encouraging mucus. 

We are blessed with our two boys. I'm so used to boys, what will I ever do if we one day have a girl?? (No, I'm not pregnant.)

Year two stats: 

Weight: 31lbs

Height: 33"

My 101 List: Updated

Occasionally when the calm settles at our home, Eric and I will sit for a uninterrupted conversation longer than five minutes. I treasure these times and continually challenged (in a good way) by him. On multiple occasions Eric asks me a simple question, "What are your goals or dreams for the next five years? The next ten years?" Simple but terribly hard for me to answer. I feel so consumed by today that I can't see much beyond it. And I know I'll be at home with our little ones but I don't know when we'll stop having little ones. See my dilemma? How can I dream when so many things could change the course of five-year path? 

Then, I watch my dear friend Mary (I can't believe we just celebrated our ten year high school reunion!!) over at Daylight-Photography dream, make goals; some easily accomplishable, some big. Her first list and now second list inspire me to dream. There's no shame in unfinished lists but something to look back on and say, "Look where I've been. What do I want in the days to come?" A place for recording and a place for memories and a place for dreaming. 

In light of her inspiration, I started my own 101 list on a sleepless night a week or so back and finished last night, June 1st, a good day to start. In following suit with Mary, I'll be "working" on these over the next 1001 days, almost three years. Personally, I'll try to update as I complete items. Struckthrough = Completed!
Here we go: 

START DATE: June 1st, 2014

END DATE: Feb. 26th, 2017

101 Dreams: 

1.      Camp in the backyard

2.      Take a camping trip

3.      Sleepover with boys June 2014

4.      Have a third baby

5.      Update kitchen (lights, knobs, open shelves for dishes)

6.      Finish painting the house

7.      Ride on a boat July 2014 (in Lake Geneva)

8.    Make it up for Traverse Cherry Festival

9.    Go to a Fly in (even better if there are pancakes included)

10. Own two dressers

11. Own a set of pearls

12. Celebrate the birth of a friend's baby the week it's born

13. Surprise my family

14. Stay over night with my sister at college (how is that already happening)

15. One week of no TV

16. Make a quilt

17. Learn a whole song on the mandolin

18. See the Vespers in concert

19. Ride a train

20. Give cookies to the neighbors for Christmas

21. Take a snap shot phone course

22. Buy a second lens for the canon

23. Make a croissant

24. Make macaroons

25. Replace Reefs (sandals)

26. Send happy mail Aug. 2014 ~ Participated in the MugSwap

27. Make it to the ocean as a family

28. Start a reading curriculum website

29. Tattoo (but only if meaningful)

30. Make sure Eric gets a handgun

31. Go to the shoot range with Eric

32. Make homemade pasta (if possible with Ppa)

33. Make a rose cake

34. Support a friend's adoption

35. Build a fire pit in the backyard

36. Decide on what to go for schooling for kindergarten

37. Personally dress up with the kids for Halloween

38. Host a family holiday

39. Send a care package to friends serving overseas

40. Buy a cow

41. Have chickens in the backyard 

42. Grow a vegetable garden July 2014 (first veggies!)

43. Make a will

44. Find a way to organize the incoming mail

45. Pick blueberries July 2014 (Johnson's)

46. Stay at a bed and breakfast with Eric

47. Repaint the outside of the house/garage and shutters

48. Meet the Campbell's in Shipshawana

49. Go to the Fort Wayne Zoo

50. Ride a Polar Express in Pajamas

51. Browse a bookstore without kids

52. Go to the dentist (I need to but hate to)

53. Help with a buddy program

54. Get the kids swim lessons

55. Attend a professional football game

56. Hot dogs and a baseball game

57. Play in the rain June 2014 and with kids! 

58. Go on a date with another couple

59. Eat food from a food truck

60. Build a snowman

61. Use my skis again

62. See a US National Monument

63. Make it through an entire devotional

64. Work on a house project with Eric

65. Take one picture a day for a month on the Canon

66. Get both boys sleeping in one room June/July 2014

67. Make the office more user friendly for everyone in the family

68. Take a spontaneous road trip – and not be controlling about details June 2014: Father's Day in South Bend

69. Plan our 10yr anniversary trip

70. Attend a “Be Crafty” workshop

71. Go to a women’s conference

72. Dance at the Wildhorse Saloon

73. Host a cookout

74. Get closet organizers for master bedroom

75. Make all meals at home for a month

76. Spend the night at a friend’s house (like high school times) Aug. 2014 with Erin

77. See a Broadway musical

78. Read a work of classic literature

79. Visit friends in St. Louis

80. Go to a drive-in movie

81. Make apple pie from apples I’ve picked

82. Pay for a stranger’s meal

83. Adopt a Christmas child or family

84. Clean up pinterest for things I really want/want to do June 2014

85. Buy myself flowers when feeling down

86. Find my dad a really awesome gift instead of the typical gift card

87. Attend an outdoor concert

88. Get outdoor lighting for the backyard

89. Find a way to get family/friends birthdays organized (and not on the kitchen calendar)

90. Read and implement tips from a photography book

91. Do something new with my hair (low-lights finally??)

92. Plan meals for a month

93. Sew a baby gift for a new baby

94. Sew something for myself

95. Visit and touch animals at a farm with the boys (Petting Zoo Goats - Aug 2014)

96. Catalog the books I’ve read

97. Sponsor a child

98. Get a King Size Bed (my husband may never go for this one)

99. Celebrate with friends and family for my 30^th

100.  Send a color-specific gift

101.  Climb a lighthouse (even better if it’s one I’ve never been in) Sept 2014 (Grand Traverse Lighthouse

Lately

Here are some of the last and greatest pictures from the month of May with our Hufford family: 

(someone please help me with the posting of this pictures - I can't get them to look organized on here)

                 

                         

Happy Second Birthday Buddy!