Garage Sale success!!

Well, other than a cough I developed from being in the dust of my attic and the wind of the last several days I have successfully survived another garage sale with my friends. I would have to say it was a roaring success. I am not the organization behind the operation but I have good manual labor skills and some aptitude for selling our stuff. It was the most profitable one to date. So I hope there is a swing set in my backyard's future....We would love it!!

High Points of Spring!

Yeah for spring!! We are so ready to be outside!! The Hackleman's love the outdoors, playing in the yard, Todd planting grass and other plants, playing ball, watching ball, you name it! Reed has had a blast driving his Gator that he got for Christmas, running with Truman, throwing the raquetball to Jack, learning to throw overhand to his Dad and Mom (most of the time, I get to be the "ump guy") We are still not sure what hand we have going on...he hits and golfs left handed (w/ right handed clubs) and picks and chooses which to throw with. It is about equal distance and accuracy with either so Todd is hoping for the dual handed pitcher like the guy from Creighton. Should be interesting to see what develops! We have also gotten to play several days at the park and have even flown a kite a day or two. Reed and I have also enjoyed some playdates with friends. Reed got to invite his friend from daycare, Dalton over a few weekends a go. The boys had been planning all kinds of stuff to do! They have really gotten into Super Mario Brothers, I think from Dalton's older sister's DS...anyway there is a lot of pretend play with Mario and Luigi. Reed loves to pretend that he is Luigi and even likes to dress like him in his "Jingles" aka Overalls! Took me a few attempts to figure that one out. He finally told me he wanted to wear the things that go over the arms and have the things that jingle on the buttons in the front...overalls! Reed still loves his animals and knowing all about them. Tigers are still the best but his favorite color is red now! There is hope for the Sooners! He is a smart little guy and loves to count and learn his letters. Can't believe he will go to pre-school in the fall! Here are a few pictures of some of our spring adventures!

Catching up!

What a whirlwind of last few months. We have survived the holidays, a few illnessess, and lots of snow. We have had a few slow months at work which have been nice for catching up at home but tough on the pocketbook. Things are picking up again just in time for a massisve amount of new Medicare regulations and form changes!! ARRGGHH! - which is my most favorite saying as Reed repeats that and "not TO-DAY!" all the time. That was his favorite thing to say as we tackled potty training.

ME: "Reed do you need to potty?"
Reed: "Nope, not TOOO-DAAAY(w/ a little uplift in his voice!)Mom!"

Needless to say he decided to learn to use the toilet and not have to hold it in all day. However, there was a lot of lobbying for pull-ups. I told him that when the pull-ups ran out then we were not going to buy any more. He promptly told me: "Well, I just will talk to my dad and he will take me to Tawget to get more! Cuz, Tawget has wots of them Mom!"

We have survived this as well and although we are still in pull-ups at night I think we have the rest of the bathroom thing figured out! Yea!!!

I DO NOT have BUGS in my tummy!!

We have the throw-ups at our house so stay away!! Or as Reed heard me telling someone on the phone...he has a stomach bug! This did not sit well with him the idea of BUGS in his stomach!!! He informed me quite adamantly that he did not have bugs in his tummy! He choked (his version of throw-up)them all up... they were gone! Then he kept going into the bathroom this afternoon and I kept asking if his tummy was upset...no he was looking for bugs!! Hopefully we will have more restful night and no one else will be BUGGY!!

We have the tree decorated...Will it stay that way???

Well our decorating continued today as we decorated the tree this morning. My guys are plagued with this nasty respiratory virus(my diagnosis). So amidst the snot and coughing we decorated the tree since I deemed us too germy for church today. Reed doesn't quite have the coughing in the elbow down yet...he coughs all over everything and then tells me he is supposed to cough into his elbow! Close I guess but not so sanitary! He was also not so willing to accept the reasoning that God doesn't want us to spread germs so it is okay to stay home. (We did do some extra blessings during our night time prayers this evening, so I hope you are feeling the extra love!) I was able to distract the disappointment of missing Sunday School with decorating the tree which Reed is quite the expert! So much so that he is still tweaking it everytime he goes by it! We still don't have topper...Reed can't decide between an Angel or a Star...he has good reasons for both and due to the cold stuff we didn't do any shopping this weekend (other than the tree!) So, the dilema continues...Angel or Star...Angel or Star...? I'll let everyone know as soon as we make a decision so that you all can rest!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the Hackleman House. For those that don't know my husband, Todd LOVES, LOVES, LOVES Christmas!!! We have been hardcore decorating since Friday after Thanksgiving. Right after our Black Friday shopping!! We had a lot of fun...we didn't do any crazy hours, just 7:00 AM and stayed in Derby. It was a blast!

So today we went and got our tree!! Since Todd and I have been married we have had a GIGANTIC artificial tree that we bought the first year we were married. We must have been blinded by the love of newlyweds because this tree was HUGE!!! It was like the artificial Griswold tree! It took up the whole living room! So as the love for the tree faded...and reality set in..we opted for a real tree this year. I am smelling its wonderful fragrance right now and Reed had so much fun going to pick it out! The picking of the tree was interesting to say the least. Picking a tree is much like buying tennis shoes with Todd...very, very selective...so since Christmas is just 21 days away we FINALLY picked one. The question at the house tonight is who actually picked it out?!? I'm pretty sure I spotted this one! ;)

Busy Month

Wow, where did November go! I guess it has been a busy month although I'm not really sure what we did. We had some birthday parties and lots of work and as much outdoor park time that we could get. Reed is growing like a weed. We have moved into 4T pants because of his long legs and we got new shoes that I hope will last until spring but the way that kid's feet grow...who knows. He is a busy little boy that loves animals and has an evergrowing Cwrismas Wist! He has lots of "needs v. wants" and lots of wheels turning in his head which results in "mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom..." "what Reed?" "um, um, um, Mom, mom..I don't know" - can we say broken record!!! He has very little desire to be potty trained despite all mine and the sitter's efforts. I believe that he is taking the Hackleman stance on this and he will do what he wants in his own time. (doesn't mean I'm quitting on him...The Thompson stubborness will not let his mother rest!)

Speaking of Thompsons...two years ago today we lost a great one. I miss my dear ole dad everyday, as I watch my little man grow and change I see so much in him that my pop would have loved. I know he isn't missing a minute of it, but I wish I could hear his clever antedotes and his laughter over things like Reed telling me "Mom, you talking toooo much!" or watching him golf in the backyard or learning to hit a pitched ball. With many memories on my mind this evening...I'll say good night to you all and to my dad...I love you and miss you everyday!

Harmony in the Hackleman House

Harmony, I guess...I will say that many of you are concerned that after the football weekend of last that I may no longer be speaking to my husband...however I am and we even rode with some civility on the way home. I will say that it was a good thing the game got over at a late hour, because as my dear friend Terri B. (former college roommate) will tell you, I am likely to just go to bed, depressed and irritated after a loss! I have grown a little and lessened my intensity some since my college years but I did go to bed depressed and irritated at my beloved Sooners last Saturday night. Missouri played very well, and OU did not...however, we really did have a good time. Reed had a great time at his Nana and Papa's house and as a result of our trip to Columbia he came home with more Tiger gear that he loves. Go ahead and get it out of his system now, I say!

Getting Ready for GameDay

Todd and I have embarked on one of the most challenging adventures in our marriage! College GAMEDAY in Columbia, MO for the OU/Missouri game! It is a big one and everyone who knows us knows how competitive we are! Todd and I very rarely disagree or even fight, but there is no telling what happens in an OU/Mizzou game! Pray we both come home and that we are speaking when it is over! Heres to an AWESOME day tomorrow! BOOMER SOONER!!!

Growing up!

Here is a picture of Reed in 2009 and in 2010 - what a difference a year makes!!!

Fall Family Foto!

Here is our annual Fall Family Foto!! Reed was upset that we weren't riding the train or something so this is the best we could do!

Carving the Pumpkin

Monday night "we" (aka Mom) carved our Jack-o-lantern into a happy face. This is the first one that we have carved since we have had Reed due to oh, I don't know...knives and Reed are not a good combination? Anyway...I thought he would like cleaning out the pumpkin guts...I hate this part, plus I think that pumpkin stinks to high heaven and get bad headaches from the smell of them so I was ready to let Reed have at it, mess and all! I learned quickly that Reed agrees with his mother and quickly abandoned me to go play football with his dad in the yard. Hear is a look at our efforts! Despite my attempt at a happy face with rectangle eyes, moon nose and a smiley face with teeth all the request of my 3 year old...I was told he was still too scary!!! What do you do? It might help if the pumpkin wasn't so creepy looking!!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

Sunday afternoon we made it to the Applejack Pumpkin Patch for the third straight year! We had a great time playing in the hay, going down the giant slide, jumping on the giant pillow, and picking out a pumpkin...did I mention teeter-tottering with Dad! Reed was very successful in picking out the UGLIEST pumpkin in the whole place. It is horrid looking with lots of wrinkles and warts!!! I asked him if he wanted me to make a scary face on it and he said no, just a happy one!! Good think 'cuz the pumpkin is pretty scary on its own!

Birthday Party!

We made it through Reed's 3rd birthday, fireworks and all. We had a great time and enjoyed our friends family and lots of Thomas! Here are a few pictures to see what we did! I made Reed's cake, it was a challenge and like the true pressure cooker I am I finished it 15 min. after the party started! Thanks SOOOOO much to my Mom for helping with Reed and helping Todd set up! I really want to attempt to make Reed's cake every year in whatever character he wants as I remember my mom doing that for us every year. It was one of my favorite things to think about what kind of cake I wanted...it was like picking out your Halloween costume!!! So lets' hope future cakes will not be so complicated!

The Hairbrella!

A few weeks ago we had a rainy day in which Reed insisted on carrying the "Hairbrella" into the house. I said to him, well it is really called an "UMBRELLA" to which he replied "nope, its a hairbrella, cuz it keeps your hair dry!" I believe I stand corrected!

Almost Three!

Reed is almost three! Friday, September 24th will be the big day! I can't believe my baby is such a big boy! He is so smart and funny and such a thinker! He is a constant challenge and I wouldn't want it any other way. We have so much fun every day and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful boy. He has grown and changed so much this year, he is really turning into a talker a lot like his Mama and has quite and imagination. He dreams up schemes of things he's going to try and thankfully is still running them by me to see if it is a good idea or to see how I'll react. For example, last week he was going to jump from the deck to the garage roof to the pool, to the neighbors fence, to the shed, to the pool ladder and then in the pool. "I fink that would be fun idea, Mama?" I convinced him to just jump in the pool, but I KNOW I can wait until he doesn't tell me and just attempts these fun ideas! YIKES!!! I'm proud of his bravery but scared to death at the same time, and wish for a little fear for him every now and then! He also has the best smile I've ever seen! It is contagious and just lights up his whole face! It is so ORNERY! He is also very loving, he still likes to snuggle and likes to sit with his Mama on the couch in the mornings until we are both awake to talk to each other. He usually lets me know when it is time by telling me "It's good morning now, Mama!" The one thing we agree on is that is NOT good morning when we both wake up...another trait from his Mama...we need a good 10-15 minutes to wrap our brains around being awake! So happy birthday to my beautiful boy! You are my best boy! I love you so much!

A wet night!

Todd and I made it through Monday Night Football last week and the monsoon at Arrowhead Stadium! We were troopers and stayed for the whole game! We looked like we'd showered in our clothes and dumped water from our shoes, but it was fun! We had the perfect day...An afternoon at the "K" Kaufmann Stadium and a Royals game. The re-done stadium is beautiful and has a lot to offer, we can't wait to take Reed, there is a lot to do for kids that can't sit through a game. There is a great hall of fame that made me miss my dad, he would have loved it! It has a lot of just neat baseball history...the evolution of the bats, balls, and gloves plus all the Royals greats and some rotating items on loan from Cooperstown. I could just hear the stories flowing!

My Little Thinker!

As many of you may have read, Reed and I have been having discussions about God a lot lately. He is the "don't take the Lord's name in vain police!" We have also been learning to say the blessing at the table which involves me saying it and Reed nodding his head in Todd fashion with a big giant grin on his face to confirm I am saying each phrase correctly! He often echos "yes, He is Mommy!" or "yes, great Mommy" after the God is good, God is great part! He may be the next Billy Graham! We have been praying each night before bed in which if he can remember your name, your dogs name, your cats name or anything about you then you will get blessed. I have yet to decide if this is sweet and endearing or a ploy to stay awake as long as possible. I believe that it is the later. This Sunday Reed was adamant that we meet God. He wanted to see him. In his words, "I want to see what Him looks like, Mommy." the best we could do was Jesus, which then brought up the question of "where is Him's mommy and daddy?" Since I told him this was God's Son. Which I was saved by church letting out (we were in the vestibule due to lack of being able to sit still and talking EXTREMELY loudly in church)which was the indication it was time for Sunday school, and there are Thomas the Train engines in the Sunday School room for the 2 year olds! They trumped the God question this week, but needless to say I will be looking for some biblical stories that will answer some questions and maybe give some kind of visual of God. In the meantime I pray for simpler questions to which I know the answers or at least can make up something that will not scar him for life!

It's all most September!

September is upon us and that means the Hackleman's are getting busy!! Football is coming!!!! YEAHH can't wait...the first OU game starts this weekend and I am ready this year. I had a little mental hiatus last year as it was the first season without my dad and that was very hard for me. Silly in some ways, but that was our thing, and it really hit me that he was gone last year when football started and I just had no joy in going. I made myself go to one game and it was very healing. I worked through a lot of guilt and grief that goes with losing someone you love not to mention the grief the Sooners brought me with losing Sam Bradford so early on... the last year has been a work in progress for me mentally but I am good and can gladly say I'm ready for some FB....so BOOMER SOONER, baby!

With September brings my favorite weekend of the year, Cropaganza. I get to stay up all night and scrapbook with my best girlfriends. We do this for a whole weekend with no husbands or children and it is the best! This year we have more time and I have big plans. I hope to get my Grandma Thompson's pictures from her youth in a Heritage album and then spend the remainder of the time on Reed. To make the week even better Todd and I got tickets to Monday Night Football in KC!!! So my perfect 5 days - 3 scrapbooking with the girls, 2 with my husband in KC with MNF at night and a Royals game in the afternoon and then off to pick up Reed at Camp Nana Hackleman's! What more could a girl want?

AUGUST

The month of August has flown by. Coming back from camp I have worked on trying to balance work out by setting some limits and learning to say no, which I am not very good at, but I am trying. The mantra is, family first! Delegate and no the limits! So this month we haven't had that much going on, but just enjoying our family. August is Todd's down time so we did a lot of swimmin' in our pool and Reed has turned into a real fish! He has enjoyed jumping off the ladder doing "Kansasballs" or cannonballs! He is really talking up a storm and starting to have conversations about all kinds of things. He can count and is working on his ABCs. He loves trains and dogs. He wants to play with Truman and Jack everyday! He really has gotten into watching movies and his favorites are "Happy Chipmunks" "Dogs on the Street" and "Dogs on the Mountain"...aka "Alvin and the Chipmunks...the Squeakuel", "Homeward Bound II: Journey from San Fransico" and "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey". He is really funny and very independent. He recently has limited me to two kisses a day because he told me that if he get's three then his lips will get sore! Who knew?!?