Background of a nickname

I can very randomly throw comments or statements out there; they typically have nothing to do with what we've been talking about. Because of this, Brian usually asks me, "what brought that up?" So, being me, I retrace my train of thought. Sometimes, it doesn't take me long to back track, but other times, my thought has to be traced a ways back. Brian usually regrets asking me, but hey, he asked, so I was just clarifying it. Anyways.....what does this have to do with a nickname, you ask? Well, our nicknames for our kids got started this same way. I don't know why, but Brian and I are big on nicknames for our kids. Their given names are great (obviously we think so since we named them), but we use "nicknames" for them more than their real name. Before we ever had kids I told Brian that I wanted to have names that could make cute nicknames, or have cute shortened versions too. I love my name, but I just never had a cute nickname or "shortcut name" for Krista. Hence, the nicknaming

Elijah aka "Eli" "Binger" "Binger Boos" or "Bing.

why all of this bing and binger stuff? Well, Eli's nickname acutally came from Brian. I had a different nickname for him at the time (don't even remember it now), but Brian started calling him Binger all the time, so it just kind of stuck. Brian was calling for Eli one day and started to say "stinker" and "booger"....what came out instead was Binger. So he started calling him Binger, then we would throw in Binger Boos and Bing sometimes too. Those are the names we use for Eli the most. He actually answers to all of them too. Poor kid, he's going to think he has 5 names when he gets older:)

Kamdyn aka "Kammy" "Kammy-do" "Kammy doodle" "Doodle" or "Doodle bug"

ok, stay with me here, Kamdyn's nicknames came from me, and the trail is just a little bit longer than Brain's was (one fundamental difference between men and women; my thoughts never seem to be simple!:)) Not real sure why, but for some reason I started calling Kamdyn, Kammy-do one day. This made me think of the song "Yankee Doodle". So from "Yankee Doodle" I got Kammy doodle. Then I started just calling her "doodle". She is our little love bug, so I started calling her "Doodle bug." Sadly, we still do use all of these names on Kamdyn too, but the most often used ones are Doodle and Doodle bug.

I'm not real sure why we even bother picking out "real" names for our kids since we don't seem to use them much. But I'm thinking they may thank us someday when they are teenagers and want to use normal names. I don't think I would have really enjoyed being called Doodle bug in all my classes in college:)

Lead Me

I have recently been in love with a new song. It is one that Brian brought to my attention before I really ever picked it out on the radio as a favorite. I have to be honest, I listened to it abut 6 times in the car the other day, and teared up just about every single time (I never used to be such a sap until I had kids!). The words are just so real to me and so powerful.

"Lead Me" Sanctus Real

*from the album Pieces of a Real Heart

I look around and see my wonderful life

Almost perfect from the outside

In picture frames I see my beautiful wife

Always smiling

But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

Lead me with strong hands

Stand up when I can't

Don't leave me hungry for love

Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight

That I'm still the love of your life

I know we call this our home

But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes

They're just children from the outside

I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine

They're in independent

But on the inside, I can hear them saying...

Lead me with strong hands

Stand up when I can't

Don't leave me hungry for love

Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight

That I'm still the love of your life

I know we call this our home

But I still feel alone

So Father, give me the strength

To be everything I'm called to be

Father, show me the way

To lead them

Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands

To stand up when they can't

Don't want to leave them hungry for love,

Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight

And give them the best of my life

So we can call this our home

Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

I pray that I can always be a leader to our children. But at the same time, I am so thankful that I still get to be led. I am human and make mistakes all the time, so I'm thankful for an unconditionally loving teacher and leader. I will never stop needing my Father's guidance...."because I can't do this alone."

Pool days are here again!

Welcome summer! With summer comes so many great things. Lots of sunshine (love this!), storms (don't love this one so much with a 2 year old:(), ice cream, longer days, and best of all.....the pool! I'm not a huge swimmer, but I love the water. In other words, I don't really like actually swimming, but I love floating and being in the water. These days, I enjoy being in the water with my kids. Especially Eli. He LOVES the water (just like his daddy) and has a blast whenever we take him swimming. If you ask him if he wants to go swimming he says no, but if you ask him if he wants to get in the pool, he says uh-huh. Funny kiddo, hasn't figured out the difference yet. Kamdyn seems to enjoy the water too, but she just doesn't get crazy like her older brother yet. She just likes to relax and float (just like her mommy!).

This is my kind of day in the pool. Kamdyn has it all figured out. The water has been so warm, it's been perfect for Kamdyn.

Eli really has no fear. This is both good and bad. I love that he's not afraid of the water, but a little bit of fear never hurt anyone. He is doing better now, but the first few times were were in the pool, he loved to jump in. He would get out and get ready to jump, but then decide that he was going to run to the deep end and jump in instead of where Brian and I were waiting. Just about had a heart attack thinking he was going to make the leap before we grabbed him and moved him back to shallow water or before our hands got down there to catch him.

My two fish. If it was up to Brian, and probably Eli too, we would spend all day every day at the pool. Here in a couple of weeks we can spend a lot more time in the pool on these unbearably hot days because Mark and Mary will have the pool house all done. It's going to be SO nice. We can't wait!

Views of Summertime

We just recently added our own clothesline to the backyard. I didn't want one that had to be out all the time, so Brian came up with his own version. I mainly wanted one for drying our cloth diapers. They take forever to dry in the dryer, and sometimes just need some good ole' Kansas sunshine to get the stains out. I used to hang them on the fence with chip clips, but that just doesn't work very well:). It's been pretty nice. I use it for our regular laundry too (with the exception of socks and underwear; neighbors don't need to see that!). I figured we might as well take advantage of what the good Lord blesses this state with in the summer: lots of sunshine (most the time) and plenty of wind!! So far I've really liked having this in the backyard, but I don't always like the sweat I work up putting the clothes up, but I guess it's worth it. It dries clothes very very fast too which is an added bonus.

Kamdyn is becoming quite the pro at rolling over. Eli sees how excited we get when she rolls over so the other day he decided that he would help her. It was pretty cute, he would roll her one way, then roll her right back over the other way. She thought it was pretty funny. I didn't know what he was doing at first, I just thought she did it on herself several times in a row.

But how cute are they. Whenever Kamdyn is laying on her stomach I lay down there too to talk with her, so Eli has started doing this for me. When she's on her tummy, he gets down on her level and talks with her and pats her back or gives her kisses. It just melts my heart. I hope he's always this sweet and loving to his little sister ( a mom can dream, right?)
Ok, this doesn't really have anything to do with the blog post title (pretty much half this post doesn't....), but this is the train I made Eli today with his toys. He kept asking me for a train so I thought what they heck. I was pretty proud of myself. I knew it wasn't going to survive long (consequence of living and playing with a 2 year old) so I took a picture. Good thing too, because during my little "photo shoot" the train bit the dust. Oh well, it was cool while it lasted/

Oh the joys....

Of weeding a garden that is. Wait.....did I miss something? Weeding is joyful?!? Not in the household it's not.

I have been blessed with an amazing husband (for many different reasons) who loves to make our yard look good. Brian's "territory" is his yard, and he takes great pride and joy in getting it looking fantastic. But there is one area of the great outdoors in which Brian fails miserably at. Not because he doesn't try, but because he just NEVER does it. That is weeding. Brian will be the first to tell you that he hates weeding. And since he hates it, he never does it. Maybe if I bug him enough, he will weed the flower beds once a year, but that's only if I use heavy bribery and beg a whole lot. Needless to say, this doesn't happen often:). If I say something about how bad the weeds are getting, he just makes a comment about going for the "natural grasses" look. What a goof ball. He likes to tease me that for someone who claims to not really mind what our yard looks like, I am pretty picky. This is a very true statement:)

Why don't I get off my lazy butt and go do it you ask?.....well there are a ton of reasons. I probably am just too lazy to get out there half the time, especially when it's super hot. I hate bugs. Any kind of creepy crawly really. They seriously give me the heebie jeebies, so the idea of going outside to possibly have who knows what kind of bug crawl all over is not my idea of a picnic in the park. NO THANK YOU! I wear gloves every time not because I don't like to get dirty, but because I feel like it gives me a little extra barrier from all those buggies hiding in the rocks. Probably really doesn't make a difference, but I feel a little bit better. I could probably start charging people to come over and get a laugh when I'm in the beds weeding. I figure it has to be pretty entertaining; it is for me after the fact. It is not unknown for me to randomly jump up and brush myself off or swat at an invisible bug. If a leaf brushes my arm or shoulder, I'm very likely to jump out of my skin. Not to mention the countless spider webs I seem to find and run into. So ridiculous. I always feel like my skin is just crawling after I "play" in the flowerbeds. I'd much rather be inside scrapbooking than be outside fighting the weeds in our flower beds. Did I mention I HATE bugs!

But.... I finally decided that since there were certain weeds in our beds that had begun to look like bushes, it was time to give those beds some TLC. One of us was gonna have to face the job. It definitely wasn't Brian. He would probably be all for the "natural" look. So I armed myself with some gloves and got the trash can out. I still have a long way to go, but there is a vast improvement out there. I only freaked out a couple of times, so I consider the morning a success. I've decided that I should probably just get "territorial rights" to the flower beds now. I don't think Brian will ever get better with the weeding, which means I'm probably going to have to do it. That entitles me to be in charge, right? Next time you come over, make sure to pay special attention to those beautiful beds out front that are nicely weeded:). Unless of course they aren't nicely weeded, or even looking halfway decent; then you can just ignore them and pretend you never noticed.

Tanganyika

A couple of weeks ago we took Eli to Tanganyika Wildlife Park. I've been wanting to go there to check it out for quite some time, but we just never made it out there. So, excuses aside, we decided to check it out. It was a pretty warm day, but that never seems to phase Eli. I have to admit, I have gotten spoiled with our zoo membership. I pay one small price for the whole year and we definitely get our use out of it. I think we pay for our zoo membership after about a month of zoo visits. We just visit that place that much. Anyways, it was weird having to actually pay to go to Tanganyika. It was a little pricey (again, I'm used to a membership) but it was definitely worth it. Eli had a blast! He loved running around a new place and being able to see all the animals. One of the cool things about Tanganyika is that it much more hands on. Eli loved being able to touch the animals and be so much closer to them. He also loved the very large playground that they have there. All in all, I think it was a very successful trip. I think we will have to visit again. Kamdyn seemed to enjoy our trip as well, but she didn't care nearly as much. Probably had something to do with the fact that she was stuck in the stroller the whole time and couldn't pet the animals:). She also hates the sun in her eyes, but she also hates to have the stroller covered up, so it's usually just a lose lose situation for us on sunny days:)

Simplifying things

Simple (adj.): having one or only a few parts; UNCOMPLICATED; without additions; not luxurious or ornate

Success (n.): the gaining of wealth, fame, ect.

This definition makes simple seem so....simple. It just sounds so uncomplicated to "live simply". Back in January, Brian commented that he wanted to live a "simplistic" life. He wanted to live with the basics and really cut back. We've tried to do this several times, and while we have improved on some areas, we still fail daily.

I wish I knew when things changed......wish I knew when success became measured by how much "stuff" you had, how nice your house is, how many/what kind of car you drive, ect. I feel that society today is teaching us to feel sub-par if you don't have the best or newest gadget. Society teaches us to always aim for instant gratification....I want something, and I want it now! I feel like today's youth are being so cheated. They are being taught to value "stuff;" it's what makes you successful. This message is so wrong. Because at the end of the day, that stuff is still just stuff; material possessions that truly aren't needed. This way of life seems so much more simple, but it's truly more complicated. You have to work so much harder for it all, and for what? To drive home to a house full of stuff at the end of a long day, much of which probably isn't even used that often (this is so true in our house). If I were to truly clean out our house and clear out the amount of stuff we've accumulated in 3 1/2 years of marriage that we never use.....well, let's just say we could have one AMAZING garage sale:). It's just stuff that takes up space, clutters our lives, and oftentimes makes us forget what is truly important. Sure, I like all of our stuff, but is it truly necessary? Do I really need 12 pairs of jeans (just guessing here at how many I have, but it's a lot!)? No, I could survive with just a couple of pairs. Do I really need two shoe caddy's full of shoes, and then some? Probably not. Do our kids need every square inch of wall space covered with toys in their rooms? Absolutely not, they are just as happy with boxes, dirt, and pots and pans. I just wish I knew when it changed.......

I watch my amazing husband work so hard for us to provide for us daily. And provide for us he does, so much. His hard work allows me to stay home with our kids and provides and amazing house over our head. His hard work puts food on the table, food on our backs, and so so much more. Yet I watch him struggle daily with the idea that he's still not good enough, or giving us what we need or deserve. And I hate that. I hate the day that society changed our views of what success is. I hate the day when society began making the hard working man and woman feel like they wren't good enough anymore or giving enough. Because it is so untrue!!! Brian, you give us more than we could ever need, and you are good enough and provide more than enough for us!

I always tell Brian, "we could live on so much less." And it's true. So many things in our life are just "comforts" we've told ourselves are necessary for everyday life. WRONG! It's just stuff. And it's not even the stuff that matters. So....with that all said, I pray that I can truly begin to live the simple life that I can "de-clutter" our lives of the stuff that's crowding it. I pray that I can make the man I love feel successful, important, needed, and good enough for us daily. I want to go back to the basics. At the end of the day, it's these three that matter the most.


As long as these three are by my side, we can survive anything. It is my hope and prayer that our children can grow up in a household full of love....a household where you understand that relationships and memories made are the important things in life....a household where you understand the value of a dollar, not fifty. I remember growing up, my step-dad would always tell us he'd give us a dollar if we'd go get him a pepsi:) As I kid, Ross and I would jump at this chance. "Sweet! A dollar!!!" As I got older, I just laughed and said give me five and you've got a deal:). I hate that a dollar became not good enough and not worth it. It shouldn't have been about the money, but about doing a kind thing for family. I pray that our children don't get caught up in society's definition of success, but understand God's idea of success. I pray that they are confident and comfortable in their own skin. Not because of the things they have, or the clothes they wear, but because they are okay with being the people God created them to be. Because after all, at the end of the day, it's all still just stuff. Daily things to clutter or lives.

Matthew 6:19-20

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (NIV)

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Eli has recently become very interested in all things moving. Specifically, planes, trains, and car/trucks. It is very rare to make it through a trip to the store without hearing "BUS" or "PLANE" from the backseat. He is so observant and spots those things from a mile away. He calls pretty much any truck or bus a bus, but he is right on with the planes. Anyways, my guilty conscience finally got the best of me. I have been promising Eli a blanket for a while now, and I just haven't done it. So, this past weekend we went to Jo-Ann fabrics to look for some fun fabric for him. I wanted to get some train fabric because out of all things moving, trains are his favorite. He goes nuts over trains! I really just intended to look, I wasn't planning on buying anything. I spotted some Thomas the train fabric right away and Eli went nuts. We put it back and kept looking, but next thing I know, Brian and Eli come rolling up to me and Eli is holding onto his train fabric just jabbering away about it:). So, we found a few other fabrics and were set to go. Eli was so stinkin' cute. He hated to part with his fabric, so as soon as we got in the car, he wanted his Thomas the train fabric back. He held it the whole way home. Then when we got home, he was just dragging it through the house and laying down on top of it and jabbering away about Thomas the train. So funny! Brian informed me that I better have a fast turn around with that blanket:). So, I worked very hard on that stinkin' blanket to get it done fast. And finished it is!!! It was well worth the work, Eli loves that blanket. Every time he gets it out, he talks about it and wants to be covered up and cuddled. If I got those kind of reactions for all of my sewing projects, I would probably do way more:)

Total contentment!

These Three

These three.......

~Have the capacity to make or break my day

~Can make me smile in an instant

~Show me what it means to love unconditionally each and every day

~Bring out the goofiness in me

~Keep me on my toes

~Give the most amazing hugs

~Make me laugh out loud on a daily basis

~Keep life interesting:)

And these two......

~Well, what can I say about these two. They are just amazing little beings and bring so much joy (along with quite a big of anger, frustration, exhaustion) every single day:). Plus, they are just so darn cute!!

Play Place

We've been busy little beavers over at the Hutton household the past couple of weeks. I repainted the kitchen (with a little help from Brian when my shortness prevented me from doing it myself), and Brian got Eli's play place put together in the back yard (I in no way contributed to this going up with the exception of nagging and bugging him so that he'd get busy on it: sorry babe!). We've decided to go ahead and put the monkey bars that came with it on, so Brian still has to do that (no rush though babe, he won't even use them for a while!). The nice thing about this play set from Lowe's is that you can add things to it if you want. When Eli gets older, we might put a few more things on it. I really want the little climbing wall. I know, this thing isn't for me, but I think it looks cool, and who says mom can't have a little fun too!! I gotta watch him on it, might as well just go ahead and play on it too (I've already tried out the swing).

This was an early birthday present for Eli from his Grandpa Bob and his great grandma and grandpa Baker. We wanted to get it a little early so he could enjoy it before it got too dang hot outside (lucky for us, it is entirely in shade from about 7:30 on, so we will be spending a lot of evenings out there I'm sure). Eli loves this thing. He's only been able to play on it a couple of times so far, but he has a blast. He loves swinging, but I think his favorite part right now is the slide. He will go up and down that thing over and over. He gets some great speed too. It's hilarious to watch him; he zooms down the slide, sometimes falling, but hops right back up and runs straight for the ladder again. I was a little worried he might have a bit of a hard time with the ladder at first (he's used to stairs), but he's done a great job. He still gets a little assistance,but he's pretty much got them figured out. At least if he falls, it's not too far down:). This play place usually causes a bit of a tantrum when it's time to go inside. The sprinklers are usually our little helper. Brian has them set to go off around 7:50ish in the evening, so if we can't get our little guy in, we just have to wait for the sprinklers to go on:).

So a big thanks to Grandpa Bob and great grandma and grandpa Baker. Eli loves his birthday present (therefore mommy does too). And an extra special thanks to Brian for braving the heat of the garage and backyard (and my always present nagging) to get it put together and put up for Eli.

Blue is my favorite color

On this little rugrat at least. I've always been a fan of blue, even for myself growing up. I thought once I had a girl, I would sway a little more towards the pink side for her. That hasn't been the case at all. I still think she looks adorable in pink (I happen to think she looks pretty fantastic in any color, but I'm a little biased:)), and she wears plenty of it, but my favorite color on this sweet girl is blue. Maybe it has something to do with her beautiful blue eyes and her dark hair, but whatever the reason, I find myself gravitating more towards the blues in the little girls clothes section.