God Bless America

What an incredible honor it was to watch history unfold today in America! I have to admit, no matter which candidate you voted for, there is something exciting about Barack Obama. Something calming. Something reassuring. Something inspiring. There is nothing better than a living example of the "American Dream"...growing up, dreaming, and achieving - it reminds me of the power in dreams and inspiration.

Watching the inauguration today was even more special for me because I was blessed to be able to share the experience with my 5th grade class. The entire election process has been exciting for them. We spent alot of time discussing the candidates and their opinions on many different issues. We watched very closely on election day - and we celebrated when the results came in. And today, we watched as President Obama was sworn in. They clapped and cheered when they were excited, they listened very carefully and absorbed what they could of his speech, they stood and they sang - I have to tell you, I had tears in my eyes.

Again, whether I agree or disagree with the outcome of the election, it was simply amazing to me that those 27 students will never, ever forget where they were when they watched Barack Obama become the 44th President. They will never forget what they saw, or what we talked about, or how they felt...and I stand in constant amazement that I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a part of that...and that it's my job to be a part of it.

I have the greatest job in the world. :)

Disney On Ice

There is just something about Disney that makes the child in everyone come out. Yesterday afternoon Kevin, Kaitlyn, and I enjoyed Disney on Ice. We found ourselves laughing, clapping, and cheering for those silly characters. We especially enjoyed it because we are taking a trip to Disney World in Orlando this summer and Kaitlyn has never been ~ let me tell you, that child is beside herself!

In the meantime, Disney on Ice filled the small Disney fix...for now! :)

Happy Birthday, Maicey!

It seems impossible that one year ago tonight, we welcomed our sweet Maicey Kay into the world! Looking back, it's difficult to remember our lives without her big blue eyes and sweet giggle. She has certainly filled our days with smiles and love ~ and today we had the chance to celebrate all the wonderful things that are her! I count it among my greatest blessings that God has entrusted such a sweet baby to our family and I cannot wait to watch her grow as each year passes.
Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl! I love you to the sky and back! :)

Happy New Year! (...a little late)

Evidently I am a terrible blogger! I cannot seem to find the time to sit down and blog nearly as much as I'd like to - but here are some promised pictures from our New Year's Eve!

We began the night with dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, The Machine Shed. It is a down home restaurant here in Iowa that is known for it's family style fixin's...served family style! Each of the servers wear red and white plaid shirts with jean overalls - I must say I admire their bravery, because I would not be caught dead wearing something like that!

After dinner, we all headed back to my parents house for a "Wii are ringing in the New Year" party and family sleep over! I have to say, we had a great time! (If you look closely at the picture of Rob, you will see the shirts we made especially for the night!)

This New Years was even more fun because our cousins Kelly and Dale were home with their two girls - so we got to spend more time with them! We pray that 2009 will be filled with many more hours of laughter and love with our family and friends!

Let's Catch Up...

Ok, so evidently my two week Christmas vacation was not nearly as long as I had anticipated! This has become CRYSTAL clear after making it through my first day back at the "real life". School, Dance, the entire schedule is back in full swing!

Our break was simply fantastic! I so very much enjoyed hanging out with Kaitlyn for those extra days, sneaking some additional time with Kevin while we were both off work, spending quality time with family I don't get to spend enough time with during "real life", laughing until my stomach hurt, eating until I was certain I would burst, and just overall RELAXING. It was fabulous!


Here are the Top Five moments of my break:


5) Creating sweet goodie tins for family members with Kaitlyn4) Helping Kaitlyn make Christmas cards with her sweet stamps and handwriting3) Spending a peaceful afternoon with cherished family members whom I don't get to spend nearly enough time with! Aunt Judy was kind enough to invite all adult female members of our family to her house for lunch - it was an incredible time of fellowship, laughter, and reminiscing. I desperately wish I had been in my right mind and taken a picture, but I somehow forgot...!

2) Watching my brother in law and my boyfriend box and compete in other various sports on the Wii our family received this Christmas. (Please trust me, this picture sincerely does not do the situation justice!)

1) Being blessed with the opportunity to create a season full of magic for the children in my life - all to celebrate the birth of Jesus. :) I simply adore Christmas time!This last picture is one of Maicey's infamous "dirty looks" - yeah, I said it. She's almost a year old, and that girl gives looks that could kill! :)

Anyway, as you can see, our Christmas was just incredible and we are somewhat sad to see it go. But, we have many new and exciting things on the horizon of 2009...Perhaps I will get to New Year's Eve in my next set of free time!

Until then,

Katie :)