My Mom

Today is a sad day for me. Twenty years ago today my mom passed away from cancer. I was only nine years old at the time, which meant I was old enough to have many wonderful memories and really know what I lost.
She was a great mom, and I always felt that my brother and I were always her greatest joy and priority. I am sad that I was never able to get her know her for who she was, outside of being my mother. I am thankful for her family, just to have them close, and for the stories they can share with me about her.
I miss her every day, and at times my heart aches for her. I wish she could have met Paul and Jackson, and had the chance to be a part of their lives. I know I am a better person because of her, and I only hope I can give my child as much love and wonderful memories as she gave me.
I love you Mom!

My Little Chef part II

This morning my little chef convinced his dad to help him make pancakes for breakfast. Paul was impressed that Jackson could tell him where the ingredients were in the kitchen. I was still in bed sleeping when they were making the pancakes, and it was nice to wake up to a fresh, hot breakfast.
I did get a little sneak peek into what was happening in my kitchen though, when a little boy ran into the bedroom and said, "I'm making pancakes Mommy, and I measured the flour".
A very delightful start to the weekend, thanks to my boys.

My Little Chef

I think that I have passed on my love of baking. Jackson has always enjoyed helping my in the kitchen with whatever I am making, but recently I been hearing "Mom, let's make something?".
We always enjoy making muffins, but our most recent baking has been much more creative. I have been even trying to add in a little science along the way. We have been talking about the ingredients, the different measurements, and how to measure. You can see us working on measuring flour, which is always a tricky one.

Put together baker Mommy, a boy who loves numbers and letters, some patience and a little help from a cooking art book, and this is the result:

Number Pretzels

Cinnamon Letters

All of our creations were delicious, but most important, they were so much fun to make.

Next week I am taking on the task of trying to make a Word World cake for Jackson's birthday. Hopefully things will go well, check back to see how it turns out.

Enjoying the Fall Season

Jackson has taken a great interest in learning about the seasons of the year. As a result he has been thrilled about participating in all the activities and outings fall has to offer. Here are the highlights of the last few weeks.

The Corn Maze in Shafer.
Jackson was so excited to go when he found out they had a little alphabet maze. They had two main mazes, and he had so much fun finding the designated markers in the mazes. It was challenging at times, but not to bad when we paid close attention to our map. Jackson was thrilled when he had a chance to hold the map and try to lead the way. He has been working on understanding his right and left, and it was a great opportunity to practice those new skills.

Putting the letters he found in the Alphabet maze into the board of letters.

Lendt's pumpkin patch in Wyoming.
We had a blast climbing through the patch to find the best pumpkin. Jackson had a delightful ride in the wagon with the pumpkins, back from the field and to the car with our purchases, which even included some Indian corn. Jackson thought we needed some for decoration, and enjoyed picking from the variety of colors they had to offer. If you are looking for a pumpkin patch, you should check them out at lendtspumpkinpatch.com. They had great prices and lots of fun for kids and families.

Our tree in the front yard dropped all it's leaves on Saturday, so on Sunday afternoon we took the opportunity to enjoy our freshly fallen leaves. We raked, jumped and buried ourselves in the leaves. I even got a chance to sit (on the ground) in the big pile. We had a such a great time.

We hope everyone is enjoying the fall season as much as we are.

Fall Has Arrived

Playing in the first fallen leaves

I have been slacking a little on posting. With preschool and speech starting again along with going back to work and my new found freedom thanks to me knee, things have been a little busy.

We are so happy to back into our routines though. Jackson has been having a wonderful time back at school. He is so excited that his friend Aaron is in his class, and talks about him daily. His mom and I are also on the school's parent board together, and has the chance to spend even more time with his friend. Having a friend in his class does seem to help him on days when he has a hard time going into the classroom. He is making wonderful progress at school thanks to our great team.


I have been so greatly enjoying my new knee and the freedom is has given me. I have been enjoying such little things like keeping up with my husband and son while walking, running errands, shopping, and just walking anywhere and everywhere.

I have finished my physical therapy, but still continue to do some exercises at home to make sure things stay strong. I also went in for my 8 week check-up to the surgeon, and he couldn't tell which knee, just by looking at me, I had replaced. He said patients are still favoring that surgical leg, but I showed non of that favoritism. I took that as an extreme compliment to my rehabilitation. I am thrilled to have such a normal walk, and all the energy I can use elsewhere now instead of using it all for walking and standing.

We have had the chance to enjoy some outings where I have had a chance to put that knee for a good workout. We've been to Como Zoo, an apple festival and even the Mall of America. Life is good.

Our fun day at the Mall Of America