the cotton tree

hello, little blog of mine

2017-01-20T22:18:00.001-06:00

i hope to spend a little more time with you this year.
it's been almost four years since i have jotted down thoughts and shared photos - too long.

more soon.

snow days

2013-02-21T23:20:00.000-06:00

the last few days we have been enjoying all the snow!

our front porch gets a lot of traffic...

if you don't have a sled or a hill just make one...

end of the day...

stay warm!

xoxo

2013-02-12T23:41:00.001-06:00

i want to be a farmer

2013-02-03T22:43:00.000-06:00

i did not watch the super bowl tonight,
but thanks to twitter i had a pretty good idea what was happening -
especially when it came to commercials.

so if for some crazy reason you haven't seen this...

and you should also watch this...

i have spent most of my life in small kansas towns,
and i wouldn't have it any other way.
good night.

looking back (just for a second)

2013-01-27T23:53:00.002-06:00

yep, we are still here.
i just haven't felt like being part of the blog world for a few months.
blah - pretty much sums-up my feelings lately.

but tonight, i caved.
i scrolled through all the blogs i used to read on a regular basis.
and then i grabbed the camera bag and put the little card in the laptop.
i couldn't resist scrolling through all the pictures (all the way from november!).

so as much as i hope to look to the future with a more optimistic and brighter attitude,
i have to post a few of my favorite photos i came across this evening.
and then i hope to continue to post with a fresh outlook.
cheers!

julia's first birthday

a morning at home with julia...

Christmas Eve...

Christmas morning...

first bike ride...

snow day...

candy and costumes

2012-11-01T14:33:00.002-05:00

we had a pretty good halloween around here,
but even with trying to simplify (we only went to one "treat event") the candy meter here is off the charts!

here's how they looked last night -
the robot (great costume - made by dad!) and the pink bunny.

thanks to all of our family that sent wonderful treats in the mail to the kids as well.
it was a fun holiday!
well, at least for kids...

wes the dog

2012-10-28T23:36:00.000-05:00

jake and i have always talked about having a dog (or even two),
but the timing never seemed to work.
just renting, no yard, not enough time for training, new baby, etc.
the list could go on forever.
but earlier this fall we happened to find out about a litter of pups that would be born in september,
and we started thinking...
maybe we should get one.
well to make this long story short -
meet our new puppy wes.

we love him!!!

and in so many ways, we already know how great the timing was.
ben's only concern at bedtime was "where's wes?" -
pretty sure they bonded instantly.
and little julia even seems delighted to watch wes run around and to "gently" pat him.
i'm sure there will be many more posts to come involving a certain dog.

enjoyment

2012-10-25T21:15:00.000-05:00

these pictures are from last weekend.
definitely not today - it was cold today!

one of my favorite things about grabbing the camera and clicking away,
is capturing moments like this.

being a kid is great!
and i hope our two get every possible ounce of enjoyment out of their childhood days.

ten months

2012-10-24T23:08:00.001-05:00

this is pretty much old - considering julia is eleven months now.
but i did take this picture fairly close to her actual ten month date,
so i'm still counting it. :)

so much for lovely quilts and cute headbands -
they have been replaced by our everyday carpet and wild hair.
this is us...

a little more "dressed-up"...

four years

2012-10-21T23:06:00.000-05:00

last month we celebrated a 4th birthday.
it was almost a month ago already - hard to believe.
but it's also hard to believe he is four.
we had a wonderful day on his birthday - just the four of us.

and we also had a great time celebrating the following weekend with friends and family.

we love you ben!

it's crazy

2012-10-18T23:25:00.001-05:00

i don't know any other way to describe things lately.
but we are here.

lots on the list of blog posts to get to over the weekend.
look forward to sharing more with you soon!
xoxo

preschool

2012-09-10T00:23:00.001-05:00

this picture melts my heart.
wearing a backpack, on the porch steps already?
so many new adventures these days.

most of you know that ben started preschool last week.
it was a bit of a transition,
but it seems to be working out well.
lots of fun and learning -
can't wait to hear all about it. :)

a cool evening walk

2012-09-07T23:58:00.000-05:00

thanks to this lovely cool front that came through last night...

we were wearing jackets on our walk tonight - except for ben. :)
we may have been a bit hasty in wearing an extra layer,
but after this summer the first cool winds of fall feel too good not too!

enjoy the weekend.

sunflower fields and windmills

2012-09-05T23:57:00.000-05:00

that's where you find the dove.
or at least that's what i hear. :)

a happy boy and a proud dad.
they had a wonderful time.
and of course, they did have a little noise "practice" for ben before heading out.

nine months (and a half)

2012-09-04T22:56:00.000-05:00

just like everything else lately -
julia's nine month photos are a bit late.
and the photo girl was less than excited about me trying to make her sit still.
so i went with the flow,
and here they are...

rolling around - and laughing!

what a pretty baby!

playing with ben's kitchen food -

and now the dishes -

get ready!

here comes the drama...

and we're done. :)
this is the first picture i clicked that morning -
she was going after the camera strap.

i have a blog?

2012-08-25T00:11:00.000-05:00

really?
i must have forgotten.;)
sorry for the quiet around here, but we've been busy...

eating grass...

playing in the rain...

letting ben use the camera...

spending time with friends,
getting ready for preschool,
sorting summer and fall clothes,
going for evening walks,
trying to curl hair without heat,
working on some fun little photo projects,
planning a 4th birthday,
grocery shopping,
decluttering and going to the consignment store,
going to the park,
running through the sprinkler,
going to the fish museum,
traveling for work,
teething,
going to the library,
working on being content,
considering adding a dog to our family,
doing some design work,
enjoying some wonderfully cool weather,
and trying to enjoy the last weeks of summer.

happy weekend.

how julia looks at things

2012-08-16T01:22:00.000-05:00

i've been busy cleaning house today,
and julia was my big helper.
she prefers to spend her time rolling and scooting around on the floor -
instead of being in the pack-n-play or jumparoo.
so i decided to take a little break and click some pictures of her view of the world (from the floor).

a day of showers

2012-08-14T22:45:00.001-05:00

today i took a vacation day -
and drove 3 hours in a rain shower to be at a baby shower for a sweet friend.
it was a wonderful day!
i got to see some dear friends (thanks lisa!) and had a great time visiting and catching-up.

susan, you are going to be a wonderful mother,
and i can't wait to meet your little guy in november.
thanks for spending so much time with me today!

n is for nocturnal

2012-08-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

this post is all about ben.

even as a baby, ben often left me questioning my abilities to be a mother.
maybe it was just because he's my first,
or maybe because there were so many changes taking place in our lives four years ago.
i really don't know.
but back then i frequently felt like i didn't know what i was doing -
it seemed he was looking at me saying "why are you my mom?"

he's always been an observer, a thinker, smart, strong-willed and stubborn.
(i have NO idea where he might get some of these traits from!)
don't get me wrong - he is also caring, thoughtful and loving,
but when all these ingredients are mixed together the combination can often be challenging.

over the summer he's done some serious growing - in many ways.
and jake and i have both been watching in amazement as ben is becoming a "kid".
he makes us laugh daily, blows us away with braininess and fills our hearts with joy.
we are lucky to be his parents.

this leads me to my story...
at supper tonight ben suggested that we say the alphabet,
and he would think of a word that started with each letter.
he did a great job!
and we were completely surprised with some of the words he chose -

a - apple
b - banana
c - carrot
d - duck
e - elephant
f - fish
g - giraffe
h - hippo
i - ice age
j - juggle
k - key
l - lion
m - mom

n - nocturnal ("like the owls")

o - octopus
p - pea
q - question mark (needed a little help with this one)
r - rain
s - snake
t - turtle
u - umbrella
v - vase
w - whale
x - x-ray
y - yummy yogurt
z - zipper

and if you are still reading here are a couple more ben stories from today...

he's been enjoying doing preschool worksheets with matching, mazes, letters, numbers, etc.
today he was doing some pages with matching -
the directions said to draw lines to match the items shown (shoes for example),
then find and circle the one thing that did not have a match.
so what did ben do?
he carefully looked at the worksheet and then told me which one did not have a match -
before drawing lines to match the other items.
that's my ben. :)

we decided to give ben an alarm clock to prepare for going to preschool.
tonight jake plugged it in beside his bed,
and for the last 20 minutes ben has been watching the numbers change,
and then running out to tell us what the number just changed to -
he is SO excited about having his own alarm clock! :)

i have often tried to get ben more interested in coloring or art/craft projects,
but they just don't seem to be his favorite thing.
and usually don't hold his interest for too long.
he does surprise me every once in a while when he'll ask to watercolor without me prompting him.

i think it used to bother me that i couldn't get him more interested in coloring, painting, etc,
but not anymore.
i'm sure there will be a day when he is more focused on arts and crafts projects (or not),
but at the present time he would prefer to cook in his kitchen, tell in-depth stories with his trains,
read books with us, do worksheets, play games on the computer or phone,
or just sit in the yard playing with his construction vehicles.
he's an independent guy and usually content to do his own thing.
i think he must have inherited this from his dad! (something i am very proud of)

next month he'll be turning 4!
and i can only imagine what exciting adventures the next year will bring.
we love you ben!
you make us so proud.
every. single. day.

ugly kitchen renovation

2012-08-09T23:15:00.002-05:00

well, i haven't been notified that our kitchen won the contest.
bummer.
until then, or until we actually find time to go shopping and install a new dishwasher,
i seem to be spending even more time in the kitchen.
washing. washing. washing.
that's okay and i really don't mind.
in fact, i secretly enjoying washing dishes and seeing just how well i can stack them in the drying rack -
it's kind of like playing a game of jenga, but backwards.
but the downside seems to be the reduced time i have for this little blog.
or maybe things have just been so busy the last couple of weeks that i have taken a little blog vacation.
whatever the reason, i felt like leaving a quick post tonight.
we are all here and doing well.
and really looking forward to a family weekend around the house.

happy friday!

eight months

2012-07-31T00:01:00.001-05:00

a week ago julia turned eight months old.
guess it's time to start planning her first birthday party...

love this one...

last week

2012-07-29T23:31:00.000-05:00

was a busy one, but packed with fun!
ben attended vacation bible school...

his favorite thing was snack time - that's ben!
each day they were suppose to wear a specific color,
but i didn't realize this until tuesday morning when i dropped ben off and he was wearing blue on red day.
oh well, we got it right wed, thurs and friday.
and then it was pretty funny when he told me he needed to wear yellow to their program friday evening -
i hadn't heard this from anyone else,
but i found a yellow shirt for him to wear.
however, i was not surprised when we arrived and there were kids in many different colors of clothing! :)
i was a bit concerned at the beginning of the week because he kept telling me he was nervous and didn't like me leaving him.
but by friday he said "mom, i had fun today!".
that made me super happy.

we also had friends over on wednesday for lunch and playtime while they were in town to get their pictures taken.
it was a lot of fun!

did i mention our dishwasher decided to retire?
yep, that means it's all on us now.
which is really okay - jake and i didn't have a dishwasher for a long time, so i've just gotten spoiled.
much rather have the dishwasher gone than my washing machine! :)
it retired when ben was a little guy and sick with the stomach flu - talk about bad timing!
we've decided we have enough projects going on and we'll wait and shop around before replacing it.
and i entered the diy network ugly kitchen contest and feel like i have a good chance of winning the makeover - have you seen our kitchen???
it's functional, but not efficient or attractive.
but considering i don't remember winning anything - ever.
i doubt it will happen, but a girl can dream.

i am also excited that my dad will be returning back to kansas from three years of commuting out-of-state.
first he was on the west coast and then on the east coast.
either way - we've missed having him close by
safe travels dad!

and i'm sure you probably saw my previous post,
but my brother turned 30 this weekend!
that's a big deal in my book.
happy birthday again paul!

and while i was searching for a photo of paul,
i found these...

made me smile.
i remember that trip to kansas city,
and that old camera.
who knew i would be taking pictures like crazy and blogging back then???

we've also had a good weekend and pretty productive.
jake finished some projects (my dishwasher might be broken, but the garage door works again!)
around the house and we enjoyed some good family time.
it was nice but HOT!

this week should be a bit quieter.
thank goodness - we've been going pretty fast around here lately.
hopefully we can spend some more time outside with the pool,
and a little time working on tidying up this house.
oh, and if i was close to one - i'd be eating at chick-fil-a on august 1!

happy 30th birthday little brother

2012-07-28T11:38:00.001-05:00

today is my little brother's birthday -
his 30th!

me and paul - 1987 vacation in denver, co

we fought all the time when we were kids, but have grown super close as we've gotten older,
and i am so thankful for our friendship.
he may not know it, but i think a lot of him.
even as a little kid he was always true to himself and never one to follow the crowd.
he wasn't worried about being popular or having the most friends,
and honestly as a big sister i can remember being concerned about the way he was styling his hair
or what he was wearing.
(and obviously i was not as cool as i thought!)
but you know, he was the one who had it right.
he's worked super hard to become the man he is today,
and i am one proud sister.
i may still be a bit bossy or opinionated at times,
but that's just because i'm older and i know best. ;)

happy birthday paul!
we're sending you lots of love from kansas

waiting for fall

2012-07-26T23:05:00.000-05:00

fall has got to be my favorite season,
and this year i am ready for it NOW.
until then i guess we'll keep going outside later in the day,
listen to the a/c run, run, run,
and continue giving ben a bath almost every night because he is covered in dust!

i took these pictures wednesday evening before we were blessed with thunderstorms.
thank goodness we got some rain!
it was wonderful to go to sleep listening to the drip-dropping and thunder rumbling last night -
but not tonight.

look who managed to take the swing when someone wasn't looking!
and look at that hair! :)
so glad tomorrow is friday!
it's been a busy week.

ben's vacation

2012-07-22T22:34:00.000-05:00

we are so happy to have ben back home,

but very happy he had a great vacation with grandma and grandpa.
he was only gone for one week,
but he seems like he's done some serious growing - in many ways.

we are so proud to be your parents benjamin!

and a big thanks to grandma and grandpa for the wonderful time you spent with him -
and these great pictures!