8 Wild and Crazy Years

May 3, 2003...8 years ago I married my best friend and true love...

Mr. and Mrs. Eric Lindsay

Showing off our super secret handshake...yes, we are

THAT cool!

Time to celebrate!!!

Happy Anniversary, Eric!  I am beyond blessed to have an amazing husband and father to our four boys in you.  I thank you for continuing to make me feel special with each passing day.  The past 8 years of marriage has been wild and crazy; however,  I cannot imagine sharing this life with anyone but you!  I love you!

Saturday Tidbits...

• Not to be outdone by Parker, Garrett has his first loose tooth!
• Hudson now follows me from room to room.  It is too cute!
• Ryder is potty training (again).  His little bum is the cutest in a pair of undies.
• Parker has decided to wrestle this winter.  Honestly, neither Eric nor myself are a big fan of wrestling; however, we are choosing to support him in his decision.  At this young age, I find it will only improve his agility and coordination.  As a bonus, it will keep him busy.
• Speaking of Parker...his Parent-Teacher conference went fantastic!  He is doing extremely well with his classwork, is a leader in the classroom, is well liked by his classmates, and is overall a model student.  His teacher does find him chewing on his pencils quite often which we need to nip in the butt for safety reasons.  
• I am fighting a STRONG urge to pull out Christmas decorations.
• Along the same lines, I am oh so ready for Thanksgiving dinner!
• Eric is currently on his scheduled 7 days off; however, now has to work this weekend.  I am not going to lie.  I am bitter.  The end.
• The plan is to get photos of the boys for our Christmas card tomorrow.  Fingers crossed it goes well!

Happy Saturday!

Wordless Wednesday...Daddy & Older Boys

Ottawa County FairCross 2010

Faircross 2010

The day I delivered Garrett (literally, while I laid on the operating table for my c-section), Eric suggested purchasing a dirt bike for Parker's upcoming birthday. Wonderful timing on my hubby's behalf, right? In all honesty, what sane mother buys a 2 year old a gas operated dirt bike? Very few. However, a mom about to give birth and under the influence of drugs happily agrees to said purchase. At least, I am guessing that was Eric's M O.

Parker was a rather happy birthday boy when his 2nd birthday rolled around (personally, I found myself wondering how do I top a dirt bike next year?!). For four years (give or take), he has spent endless hours going 'round and 'round our backyard (our in town neighbors have to love us). He and his bike have made their way through our fence on one occasion. A handful of times, he has explored more terrain at Grandpa Scott and Grandma Sheila's house. Recently, he and Garrett spent the day with Eric on a bona fide dirt bike track. Last Friday, though...well, was HUGE. Parker entered his first race at our county fair...The 2010 Ottawa County Faircross. Eric raced his pit bike as well. Together, the two of them were pretty darn giddy. I was a tad bit nervous; however, I found myself telling Parker to tear it up following his practice session. Along with Garrett and myself, Parker (therefore, Eric LOL) had quite the little cheering section. Thankfully, the storms held off long enough for each of them to get in their respective motos.

Heading out to practice

A sweaty little thing following practice

Seriously, how cute does he look?

Making his way around a turn

I LOVE this photo! That little guy on the hill? That's our dirt bike dude! This photo puts the size aspect into perspective. In addition, when you zoom in you can see the faces of the fans. So many are smiling at him, clapping for him, etc. Love it!

Proof Mommy exists...Parker and I following his race. Please excuse the hot mess I am...there was a decent breeze going, but it was H-O-T and humid.

One proud daddy...Eric and his mini me

Way to go, Buddy!

I am a bad wife as I got ZERO pictures of Eric racing. Garrett and I barely made it back to the stadium in time to watch Eric's race as there was fair food to be consumed and animal barns to tour. My camera had landed itself back in the truck following Parker's race and I had no time to retrieve before Eric's race. My apologies (again), honey! It was a good night of racing and both of my boys came away unharmed. As for Parker, he placed first in his class. True, he was the only rider in his class; however, he is none the wiser. Eric placed sixth. Or fourth. Who knows? According to the printed standings, he came in sixth. However, he received a fourth place plaque. Awesome! Garrett is happy to carry his daddy's award around and proudly proclaim "My daddy won!". God love him!

The Cloud Maker

My husband makes clouds for a living. Check it out...

Seriously, our kiddos think daddy has the coolest job...making clouds and all. Truthfully, he works at a nuclear power plant. How do you explain nuclear power to kiddos six and under? You tell them two things...their daddy makes clouds and he makes the power used to watch TV. Good enough, right?!

Every two years, the power plant has a scheduled outage and shuts the plant down. Are you thinking "woohoo...family vacation!"? Wrong. It is during this time the employees check every nook and cranny of the reactor (you are loving my explanation, Eric, right?) and make necessary repairs. Additional employees are brought in and there is overtime for all. This years outage began in February (you know, back when Hudson was born and in the NICU...awesome timing) and was scheduled for 45 days (don't quote me here, readers). Here it is July and the plant is now, finally, back up and running. I am all for being thorough (and well...safe); however, I miss my husband. My kids miss their daddy.

I am thankful for Eric's job. Really, I am. The pay is generous and allows me to stay home with the kiddos. Initially, I thought I would loathe his rotating shift; however, it's not so bad. He has 7 days off every 5 weeks...just because that is how the Operations department rolls. Awesome!

The last 5 weeks of this outage have been grueling. Tiresome. Long. During this time, Eric has been on straight nights...12 hour shifts (his norm), 5 days a week. He sleeps the majority of the day. Bedtime, bath time, and mealtime have all been on me. No lying...four kiddos to one parent is rough. My main goal has been to survive. That is all. Truthfully, I got them out of the house and about more than I thought I would (for their sanity and mine). Last night was Eric's last night of this outage. Praise the Lord! We survived.

Hello, Eric...it is good to have you home again. Good bye, outage! See you again in Fall 2011 (or something like that)!

Party Prep

I *Heart* Entertaining. Eric, eh?! Sure, he enjoys having our family and friends over. Who doesn't love good food and good company? I have a difficult time keeping things simple, though. That is where the "eh" comes into play for Eric. Slowly, he is embracing my tendency to do parties and gatherings on a large scale. He is even beginning to put his own touch on our setting up process (yes, there is a process). A few parties ago (Ryder's birthday?) he started lining up the ride on toys, bikes, etc for the kiddos to pick and choose from...


It kind of reminds of me a used car parking lot and that...well, if you truly know my hubby is so Eric!

The Beginning

Early December 2001

After almost two and a half years of dating, Eric surprised me on a Sunday afternoon with a trip to a local jeweler. Upon entering the store, my heart began to race. Fast. Eric wanted to get a feel of what type of engagement ring and wedding band I would lust after. Was this really happening? That afternoon I let Eric know my heart's desires...a simple, modern ring, and white gold in color. I was downright elated as we left and certain we would be engaged. Soon!

Christmas morning I woke up with the notion that later in the day I would be a bride to be. I also woke up with pink eye. Pink eye aside, my thoughts turned to my beloved getting down on one knee and proposing to me. On Christmas. Oh, I was thrilled with what laid ahead.

Early Christmas morning, Eric and I exchanged gifts alone in my apartment. My Prince Charming gifted me a toilet seat, first. Yes, it coordinated with my bathroom decor; however, a toilet seat?! Next, I unwrapped a space heater. I was baffled by my beloveds choice of gifts. Where is the romance in a toilet seat? In a space heater? I was presented with another gift. This time I found myself unveiling a lock box. Finally, Eric bestowed upon me a gift certificate for a massage and a facial. Indeed a thoughtful and grand gesture; however, it is important to keep in mind he is the bad guy after the gifts of a toilet seat, a space heater, and lock box. Had our trip to the jeweler earlier in the month been a dream? Was I not about to become a bride? Together, Eric and I visited our families for the remainder of Christmas Day. As we reached each destination, we parted ways. Our family members could feel the tension between the two of us. I was heartbroken. Secretly, Eric shared with his mother his intent to propose. However, not on Christmas Day.

The following day, I headed to work. I poured my heart out to my fellow (female) co-workers. They comforted me and agreed that Eric's gifts were less than desirable. That evening I returned to my apartment to find Eric there. True to form, when I am upset, I said little. He insisted something was wrong. Yes, something was wrong...you presented the love of your life (or so I thought) with a toilet seat, a space heater, and lock box (shhhh...we are forgetting about the gift certificate for the massage! Remember, he is the enemy!). Visibly upset, I said nothing.

Eric attempted to coax me and stated, "How are we supposed to spend the rest of our lives together if you won't talk to me?". I spewed back, "Sometimes I am not so sure we are going to!". Instantly, I regretted my words. Eric turned away from me and made his way out of my living room. Crap, what had I done? I was, without a doubt, certain he was going to leave. I heard him fumbling around in my kitchen and assumed he was gathering his belongings to leave. In reality, he was pulling an engagement ring from his lock box (what is with this guy and lock boxes?). A few minutes later, he returned to my living room. I sat on my bed/couch (hey, it is an apartment...remember!) and Eric dropped to one knee in front of me. What is going on here? He spoke the sweetest words to me (although I cannot recall them) that pr eluded the following...will you marry me? I responded (are you ready for this?), "You always have to prove me wrong. Don't you?!". Eric slipped a beautiful ring onto my left ring finger. To this day, I do not believe I ever said ''yes'' (honey, yes, I will marry you!). We hugged. We kissed. Eric clued me in that he had intended to ask my dad for my hand in marriage (awwww). He had planned (more than likely) to propose at an upcoming Bare Naked Ladies concert we were to attend. Geez, that would have been awesome! My bad...

Our tale of proposal will not make it's way into any fairy tale book. It is, though, a story of us. Most often, we bicker about nothing of importance. I am a planner, by nature, and always tend to be one step ahead. I am always thinking about what should come next. Eric is a planner as well; however, his process is a little more drawn out. It is detailed. More often than not, his plans are perfect.

Together, we spent the next seventeen months planning our wedding. On May 3, 2003 in front of God and 300 of our closet friends and family (we are blessed!) Eric and I were united in marriage. Our wedding day was beautiful and truly represented us. It was playful, yet sincere.

Eric,

Happy Anniversary!

The last seven years have brought us four kiddos, smiles, tears of joy and sorrow, an abundant amount of craziness, and laughter. I can not imagine being in this journey without you by my side. I love you, always!

Love,
Your Crazy (and sometimes ungrateful) Wife

Currently...

...we have a 6yr old, 4 yr old, 22 month old, and one month old

...there are approximately 150 foam hearts (versus the previous 200) covering the windows of our front door (thank you, Parker and Garrett)

...Eric is working all of the time (or so it feels)

...I am almost 15lbs lighter than my pregnancy starting weight (yes, it feels darn good to say that)

...Ryder refers to Hudson as Hudsey

...I would say having four kids is not that much different than having three kids

...I am giddy about the three matching polo shirts and coordinating sleeper I purchased for our four boys

...Eric is equally giddy about all of the new dirt bike gear (2 pairs of riding pants, 2 shirts, and a pair of gloves) he purchased for $35 (this is a steal!)

...our washing machine and dryer are running non-stop (again, so it feels)

...Garrett is obsessed with Lego's

...Parker brings home (on average) 10 drawings from school and wants to keep them all

...Hudson is congested (poor little guy)

...we are settling into a new routine as a family of 6 (holy cow!)

Warning...We Are Not Color Shy

Here is a small glance at the new color on the walls of the larger bedroom upstairs...soon to be Parker and Garrett's room.

I love it! It is cheerful and perfect for our older boys. Eric did a fantastic job painting the room. It took two coats of primer to cover up the dark caramel color we had on the walls. The green, itself, needed three coats. Call him a pro, but Eric even manages to do trim work without painter's tape. More photos to come as our work progresses.

We Love You, Daddy!

Dear Daddy,

Thank you for being such a good daddy! We think you ROCK! We think you are the COOLEST (much cooler than Mommy). Thank you for the dirt bikes (I'm sorry for running through the fence...that's me, Parker). Thank you for getting up with me at 5am (that's me, Ryder). Thank you for changing my poo diapers (I promise I will start poo'ing in the potty soon...that's me, Garrett). Thank you for taking us to Wal-Mart (and the trips through the toy aisle). Thank you for all of the frozen meals and lunchables (we will take those over Mommy's cooking....shhhh). Thank you for coming home after work (we know it's not easy).

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!
Have a great day!
We love you!

Love,
Parker, Garrett, Ryder
(and Mommy, too)

Project 365...June 19th

Gosh, Parker and Garrett are on the ball. They pay attention to every little detail...especially when it comes to what daddy does with his dirt bikes. Check out a past dirt bike of Eric's. Please note the stand the dirt bike is perched atop...

Obviously, when I saw this set up this morning I knew the source of Parker and Garrett's inspiration. Seriously, this is cute...

...yes, the middle dude is headless!

Such is Life...

When it comes to sports I have always been one for those that include a ball...football, basketball, soccer, and baseball. However, a little boy (or three) would have a hard time not riding a dirt bike when daddy rides himself and encourages you to hop on as well. When daddy wants to buy you your own dirt bike at the age of two and three...well, that is just icing on the cake. I am outnumbered. Pure and simple.

Such is life in our house...

Garrett adores daddy and doing as daddy does. Check him out
cleaning his scooter while Eric cleans his motorcycle.

Parker is so close to having a complete set
of dirt bike gear. Recently, Parker has acquired
pants, a shirt, gloves, boots, and a chest protector.
He does look cute, right?! Eric has scored some great deals
via Ebay for Parker's gear. We are now searching for
helmets and goggles for both Parker and Garrett, but
will be buying new for those items.

Slowly, I am adjusting to all of the dirt bikes that come into our home. Parker and Garrett clearly have a love for riding dirt bikes. Yes, Eric has taken Ryder for a ride (or two) on his small bike. Yes, Ryder screams when it is time to get off (a true sight to see). It is pretty entertaining to watch Parker, Garrett, and Eric race around our small back yard. I, finally, understand why Eric insists on having at least 5 acres with our next move. Eric is a cautious rider and he is teaching the boys sensible riding skills. I am probably a tad bit biased, but I do believe they have a gift for riding. That being said, Parker has his first t-ball game tonight. I am looking forward to watching my little guy play ball. Honestly, I will always cheer on all of my boys regardless of what sport they choose. Is it too much to ask for one them to dance or become a male cheerleader, though;)

I Do All My Own Stunts...

The shirt says it all...


No, really...see?

But, oh how he loves his "Da"...

8th Annual Feasel Fall Classic

Sunday was the 8th Annual "Feasel Fall Classic"...held at the home of our friends, Matt and Cary Feasel (and clan). The "Feasel Fall Classic" is a full day of 50cc dirt bike races that mainly consist of grown men racing "little dirt bikes"; however, there are youth and women divisions too. Each year this FUN race draws a large crowd of participants and spectators...despite Sunday's weather 2008 proved to be no different. In addition to the races there is a huge kettle of stew for all to enjoy, music, a 50/50 raffle, and lots of kids playing all around. Overall, it's a really fun day!

The little guy spent the day at Mammy's house (getting spoiled) and the rest of us headed out early Sunday morning. This was Garrett's first year attending and when we pulled up to the Feasel house he was literally shaking with excitement.

Garrett and Daddy "prepping" Daddy's bike

This was the 4th year for Parker to attend the Feasel Fall Classic, but his FIRST year to RACE!!!! Yes, at the last minute (and truthfully at Mommy's prodding) we entered our 4 year old in the "Beginner Youth" division. At first, Eric was uncertain of how Parker would "perform" on a real track (compared to our small backyard). In addition, we had only taken the training wheels off of his dirt bike 2 weeks ago. Parker "was game" though and I thought he would have fun. Finally, daddy agreed too:)

At the completion of sign ups Parker ended up being the only entrant in his division. I am not sure if his "mad skills" scared off the other competitors or we are in the minority of crazy parents who give their child a dirt bike at age 2. I am thinking the latter of the two LOL! Regardless, Parker had a BLAST and that is what counts.

Parker and Daddy getting ready to enter the
track during practice...Eric walked behind Parker as he rode

Garrett intently watching his big brother...
he wore his bike helmet for most of the day;)

My little guy making his way around the track...
he fell once, but got right back on

During practice he was a tad bit unsure and would put one
foot down to "stable" himself...by his "race" both feet were on the pegs

A happy and safe little rider

In the past Eric has only entered the "Open Pro" division, but after turning 30 this past June he entered the "30+ division" as well. He was excited, but his body is definitely paying for it.

Eric jumping

Garrett and daddy snuggling and watching
other riders

Garrett enjoyed playing in the dirt throughout the day

Parker's race...check out both of his feet on the pegs!!!
Way to go Parker!!!

Garrett and Uncle Steve are in the background cheering him on

The girls at the finish line were super sweet and pulled out
the checkered flag for him (hard to see...they are smaller blocks)

Eric and other riders lining up...Eric is wearing the red helmet and
looking at the camera

WooHoo Eric

Eric...exhausted

Garrett catching a ride with Daddy during
open riding

At the conclusion of the race there is a small ceremony to congratulate all of the riders and winners. Trophies, cash, and other prizes are awarded according to each division.

Parker was SHOCKED and EXCITED upon receiving his 1st trophy...
Garrett was upset and trying to grab it. At that point a nice
gentleman leaned over and gave Garrett the trophy he had earned.
Thanks!!!

Time to pack up and head home...dirt and all

A super tired rider with his trophy...
he carries it with him EVERYWHERE:)