Punkin' Patch

Sunday after a wonderful message at church we headed out to the local punkin' patch so the boys could pick pumpkins for carving later this week! We had a great time being together and watching the boys together!

This is one of our favorite things to do as a family each fall! What are some of your favorite fall family traditions??

Good for the soul.....Bad for the diet!

Guess what we're doing tonight.......






Yummy!! The last batch is baking and after dinner we will be decorating!! More pictures to come later tonight of our masterpieces!! Cause ya know...they WILL be masterpieces! ;) Hope everyone is enjoying their Friday evening!!

******Pictures as promised!******

Oh how these two lil men bring me so much joy! We had a great time as a family mixing, baking, cutting and decorating halloween cookies tonight.

Brayden's Creations.....notice the bite out of one of them....lil stinker!

Colby's masterpieces.......

Have a fantastic weekend!!

Mommy & Me

My wonderful bloggy friend, Erin, tagged me a LONG time ago with this fun Mommy and Me meme! Erin~sorry it took so long to get around to it but thanks for the tag! I enjoyed this one!

First, post a picture of you and your kids!

1. How many children do you have?
Two

2. What are their ages?
Colby is 7 and Brayden is 3

3. What time do you start your day?
Workout days (which are mon, thur, & fri) i get up at 4:30 to get a workout out in before daddy leaves for work and the other 2 days i get up at 6:45

4. What do you eat for breakfast?
gosh.....a bowl of cereal, or some fruit, or a bagel and ALWAYS washed down with a nice warm cup of coffee!

5. Do your kids watch TV?
That would be a definite yes......i do my best to encourage activities other than tv and Brayden definitely watches more than Colby since he is home with me all day. Living in a fairly isolated area where about 9 months out of the year are cold, wet and nasty it becomes harder and harder to find things to do that keep them entertained! Colby loves watching the discovery channel or animal planet and Brayden's favorites are Super Why, Word World, Wonder Pets, and Backyardigans!

6. What are their favorite activities?
Colby enjoys reading, soccer, football-both playing it and watching it w/ Dad!, anything related to science or nature, Awana, playing his nintendo ds, computer games and both card and board games. Brayden loves being outside, building things with legos and blocks, Cubbies, anything w/ his brother, "reading" books(more like making up the story as he flips the pages and looks at the pictures), and coloring or painting pictures!

7. Do you get a break during the day for some you time?
I am very blessed in this regard! Brayden does nap in the afternoons and i do get some time to myself. I am working on making it a priority to start this time each day studying the Bible and soaking in God's word, then followed by cleaning, organizing, laundry, stamping, phone calls, blogging and/or reading......i usually just prioritize what needs to be done and get as much of it done as i can!

8. How do you end your day?
Most importantly w/ my hubby! The majority of our "just us" time happens after the kiddos are in bed each evening! We talk, laugh, prepare for the next day, watch tv, play computer games....or whatever else we decide but we do it together as much as possible!

9. What is your best parenting advice or tip?
Cherish each and every moment! Find reason to be thankful in every situation you are blessed to experience with your children....fun or not, easy or hard....its all such a blessing and goes by so fast! And network with other mommies! This has been such an encouragement for me......nobody understands like someone who is doing it too!!

Tagging 5 people:
*Scrapper Mom @ My Yesterdays, Todays, & Tomorrows

*Lainey @ Life is Just so Daily

*Janine @ Family Toole-Box

*Erin C. @ Crumpton Classics

*Jean @ A Testimony of God's Providence

Yes Yes.....

I am indeed still alive!! To say the least life has been just a little crazy in the Miculka's corner of existence! Can anybody sympathize with me on how much goes into a cross country move??? Holy moly.......i just did this 3 years ago and yet it is so completely unfamiliar!?! This time is very different as the kids are both at very different places in their lil lives than they were 3 years ago. And this i'm sure contributes to the vast differences between the last move and this one. Either way.....time is moving faster than i ever dreamed it would and we are now 7 weeks away from the movers knocking on the door. WOW....how did that happen?

There are so many things i want to get done in that 7 weeks in addition to the "normal" things we always have on our plate. I want to slow down time and take in every minute i have left here on this island that has become home for the last 3 years. I want to memorize every moment i can spend with my amazing friends that God has so graciously blessed me with while here. I want to take time to notice every little thing that has become "normal" to me while here and enjoy them like i used to....like seeing bald eagles in flight, the snow capped mountains beyond the gorgeous bay, Angelo's....my favorite spot to meet with girlfriends and enjoy coffee and breakfast, the deer who roam freely nearby and always want to take their time crossing the street when i'm running late, and so many more. I cherish every memory made and the emotions are already beginning to take over knowing that time is running out for us here. This chapter of our life is almost over. God is so good and i have come to know so much more of Him as He has been my strength and companion through lonely deployments, my hope and comforter through trials of my own and those i have experienced with friends, and my joy through all he has blessed me with the last 3 years.

I know God has great plans for our family as we move on to the next chapter. And i know He will continue to be my strength over the next 7 weeks as well as my comfort as i say goodbye to everything that has been home for the last several years. Please pray for our family as we prepare for this move. Pray for continued strength for John and me as we work through all the details....logistical and financial. Pray for guidance for me and John as we strive to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to teach the boys to rely on the Lord and to find strength in him. And pray that all will work out on the other end.....there are so many unknowns for us right now when we get to florida so just pray that it will all work out.

Pictures and fun updates to follow soon! Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!!

Random~ness

My bloggy friend, Shortone, tagged me with the challenge of telling 6 random things about myself. Maybe not a challenge for some but for me....i found it difficult to come up with things that i thought were actually worthy of listing here. Or maybe i just totally over think things but regardless.......here it is!

The "rules" of the game are as follows:
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Write 6 random things about yourself.
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.

And drumroll please......

*1* I never finish a can of soda....EVER.....and i don't really know why. It drives John crazy and I used to deny it but i've just accepted it now. For whatever reason there will always be a couple of drinks left in any can that i open.

*2* I have expensive taste....put me in a room with 5 of anything (furniture, shoes, anything), don't put prices on any of them and i will pick the most expensive one! Every time....it never fails....i find something i absolutely love, check the price and it out of this world expensive.

*3* Street lights always go out when i drive by them...WEIRD.....people never believe me until they are riding with me and it happens. Its very strange.....

*4* I love baby feet but once they get past about age 2 feet begin to disgust me. I CANNOT stand them.....and don't even think about letting your feet come anywhere near my pillow...YUCK YUCK YUCK.......on the contrary i love foot rubs and pedicures for myself.

*5* I order the exact same thing at coffee shops....every single time and i have ordered it for probably close to 2 yrs now. The same thing...atleast 3 or 4 times a week! A non fat white chocolate peppermint mocha with half the white choc......and i've yet to get tired of it. ALL of the employees at my favorite coffee shop know my order...even if a friend goes and picks it up for me they always ask "is this for the girl in the brown crv" haha...it cracks me up!

*6* I couldn't come up w/ anything else so i asked John and this is what he had to say... "you always seem to decide you want me to get something for you right when i sit down. ALWAYS." haha....i guess that is kind of random and maybe i should pay more attention to that....

So anyway...there you have it.....6 random things about me! I don't know if i can come up with 6 people to tag but i'll tag:
*1* Ginger @ The Small Moments
*2* Girl @ a boy, a girl, and a pug
*3* Erin C.@ Crumpton Classics

I'm looking forward to seeing what kinds of random things you girls come up with!! Hope you enjoy!

Hubby Love!

So a few days ago a good friend of mine from church growing up, Erin C., tagged me with a Hubby meme!! I couldn't resist how perfect the timing was as today is our 4th wedding anniversary!! Hope you enjoy a glimpse at the man God blessed me with as my hubby w/ some pictures to make it a little more fun!!

1. Where did you meet?
At the car dealership i worked at.....long story but we did not start dating until after the 2nd

time he came in! (And he says he came back the 2nd time because of me!)

2. How long did you date before you were married?

1 year and 8 months

3. How long have you been married?

4 years today!!! =)

4. What does he do that surprises you?

I am constantly amazed how intelligent he is.....he's brilliant and doesn't even know it!

5. What is your favorite feature of his?

His smile

6. What is your favorite quality of his?

I'm gonna go with his dedication to whatever he does...its tough to choose just one!

7. Does he have a nickname for you?

Not so much a nickname.....he calls me babe but thats more of a pet name

8. What is his favorite color?

Blue



9. What is his favorite food?

BBQ

10. What is his favorite sport?

Football w/o a doubt!



11. When & Where was your first kiss?

I'm not sure exactly when.....sometime in the first couple

of weeks of dating and it was at his apartment

12. What are your favorite things to do as a couple?

laugh, watch tv, play computer games, spend time w/friends

13. Do you have children?

2 wonderful, crazy, rough-n-tough, ALL boys!! Colby is 7 & Brayden 3

14. Does he have a hidden talent?

he is an amazing cook and he has a fabulous knack for putting foods/tastes together you

wouldn't typically think of and it tasting wonderful!

15. How old is he?

31



16. Who said i love you first?

that would be him and it was so cute.....he was so nervous and i could tell he wanted to say

something but it took him quite a while before he worked up to actually saying it! =)

17. What is his favorite type of music?

there isn't one favorite......he likes all kinds of music and rarely listens to just one kind

18. What do you admire most about him?

He would do anything to ensure happiness and security for this family. I love this about

him! And he somehow manages to find the perfect balance between giving his all to God,

this family, and his career. To sum it up....he's amazing!

19. Do you think he will read this?

Most likely yes!

20. Who are you tagging??

I'll tag Erin, Love, & Jean Marie....if you ladies would like to!

Happy Anniversary John! I love you more than i could ever put into words. You amaze me with your self less love for me and our boys. I cherish every day God has blessed us with and i look forward to all that lies ahead for us. The struggles, deployments, sleepless nights, sick kiddos, cross country moves and everything else we have faced together couldn't begin to come close to the joy i find in our love. I can't wait for each tomorrow with you! Thank you for being you and for loving me like you do. I love you babe!

Our Little Cubby

As most of you know Colby is involved in the AWANA program and loves it!! And we love it! And Brayden has wanted for soooo long to go to awana too.....and now he does! He is old enough for the Cubby program thru awana this year and he is l.o.v.i.n.g. it! And with both of the boys involved John and I are able to volunteer and help out! What a blessing it has been each week to spend time with all these precious kiddos and help them grow in the Word of God. John is working with the Sparks program which is Colby's age group and i am helping in Cubbies with the 3 and 4 year olds!

We are so proud of how well Brayden is doing learning his verses and reciting them for his leader each week. His enthusiasm is contagious and he couldn't be more excited to learn God's word! Last night was his first awards night where he earned his vest and book! He was so proud and excited that the whole family was there to see him receive his award.

This program has proven to be such a blessing for our family and we are truly enjoying learning alongside our children as we grow in the Word of God together!

I might just lose my mind!

We are sickly. Not fun! Sore throat, head cold, nasty cough type of yuckiness. That describes me and Colby. So we haven't left the house since saturday morning and i think i'm losing it. And now Colby's asthma is being affected and i think i am probably going to have to take him to be seen.....YUCK! I avoid the pediatric petri dish as much as humanly possible! And my fabulous visions of getting out of the house didn't include going there....uuugghhh.



And then there is the ear saga with Brayden. Remember when i posted that i thought he was on the mend....it wasn't so. I took him in to a previously scheduled hearing appt and the doc kindly informed me that his ear was still infected and that there was no movement of the ear drum indicating to her that the tube was blocked. GREAT! So into the pediatric clinic we went the next day where we found out that indeed the infection was still present but the tube was no longer in the ear drum. WHAT?!? In a matter of 10 days i was told the tube is in place(family med doc who diagnosed the infection), the tube is clogged(hearing specialist), and the tube isn't even in the ear drum(pediatrician). So....the pediatrician upped the dose of the antibiotic and prescribed 5 more days of it and a nasal spray for 10 days that is tons of fun to administer to a 3 year old! We follow up in about a week. Does it ever end????

So....welcome fall. You are usually my favorite season of the year....even though you usually bring some sickness to our home i typically get to enjoy your gorgeous color changing leaves and cooler weather and smoky air from the fireplaces of those lucky enough to have one before the sickness strikes. But not this year. I am hoping and praying this is not a forecast of what is to come and rather a "let's just get it all out of the way now" type of deal. Could we work out a deal like that?? Yes yes...Welcome Fall.



See that....i'm speaking to a season as if it is a living thing capable of deal making. I really might just be losing it! This too shall pass right?!? Oh how i hope that you can all somewhat relate to what i'm feeling.....and if you can than let me know! That might just make me feel a little bit better!

My new toys!!

I got new toys this weekend!! Like fabulous big girl toys!! =) I have been wanting a Dyson vacuum for a looooong time now and a new camera is something John and I have been talking about for a while too. So this weekend i got both!! A new camera and a dyson. And not just any dyson....a PINK dyson!!! Target had some pink items advertised in support of breast cancer research so not only did i get my new vacuum but $30 will be donated to the breast cancer research foundation. So enough talking....here are pictures of my new toys!!

I intend to put both of my toys to very good use!! I've never been so excited about vacuuming!! And i can't wait to take pictures of my quick moving kiddos and not miss the shot because i'm waiting for the camera to be ready!!! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm off to vacuum!! =)

p.s.~ Brayden is doing much better.....still occasionally complaining of pain but the drainage has stopped and no more fever so i do believe he is on the mend!! Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers!

Quick Update!

So...we were able to get in to see the doctor on Monday for Brayden and indeed he has an ear infection....in the ear that still has a tube in it. WEIRD! No idea how that happened but so far he's had 6 doses of the antibiotic and is still complaining of pain....i'm really hoping that things turn around tomorrow or i will start to wonder if the meds possibly aren't working. =( We have a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge planned for friday so pray that his little ear will feel better so that he can enjoy the trip! I will update this weekend on Brayden, Great Wolf and saying goodbye to the Martin's. Hope everyone is having a great week!