Petersen Milestones

2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

 Last weekend Tim ran in the Ft. Lauderdale A1A Half-Marathon for the second year in a row. He did outstanding! His goal was to break 2 hours, and his official time was 1:55:29!!!! What guy! We are so proud of him. You should have heard the shouting going on at the finish line. It was an unusually frigid February morning and we bundled up Connor under many layers to keep him warm. Grandma Glenda put him on her shoulders and I had my hands full with two cameras! Connor would say, "Race daddy, race!!"

 Daddy really is number 1! After he finished we went home, cleaned up, and off to church we went. I love that he sets such a good example for Connor. It helps that Connor now goes into his nursery easily and willingly. He loves his friends in his class and can't wait to see them now.

 Connor is certainly growing and maturing. He has spent most of this week in big boy underwear and is doing great!!! Grandma Glenda is so wonderful and makes him certificates, and gives him treats for successful days at her house. We tend to put him in a diaper to sleep but otherwise he's been living in the big boy world! Even if we are out and about when he tells us he has the urge, he is able to hold it until we find a potty, though it is usually Tim or I RACING to the nearest bathroom saying "hold it, hold it, hold it". It is a sight for sure, and a great parenting  rite of passage.

I have spent the better part of this month at stress level 10 in preparation for this year's school play, High School Musical. We have been working on it since October and we're in the home stretch. One more week of rehearsals and then on with the show. We are still polishing and working on sets, and we're about to start Tech Week. I see a million things that could go wrong, and a million things that still need work, and a million things that aren't ready for use, but I also see a wonderful accomplishment for my students, and I am so proud of them! If and when it all comes together we can all sit back with something to be proud of. In the meantime Tim is helping me find ways throughout the week to relax. He's even been doing an excellent job with dinners!!! I love my two boys, we'll finish this race together.

Disney....again

I know, I know, I know what you're thinking....didn't you just go to Disney World. Well, yes. And to be honest we've been once a month since November, and if you think about it we went to Disneyland in October. So, we're Disney people, no biggie. The first weekend of the month tends to be a good time for us recently.

 Connor has jumped right on board with our love of the Mouse. It is so sweet to hear him get excited about going to "Dinny Wirl". We have a plan in place with which rides are on the top of our list according to importance for our little big boy. We started our first day at Hollywood Studios, and ended the evening at Magic Kingdom. The next morning we went to Animal Kingdom and then got to enjoy a special lunch with Aunt Heather and Uncle Josh.

 We were so excited to take Connor to the Disney Jr Show at Hollywood Studios but sadly it was closed. We made sure to do Toy Story Mania, and Connor enjoys whirling around and watching the 3D images. At Magic Kingdom he is a huge fan of the Speedway Racers and the Airplane Choo-Choo otherwise known as the Barnstormer. He squeals on the Tea Cups and Dumbo, and this time even enjoyed some high flying on a Magic Carpet Ride. He always loves the Carousel, and this time the Electro-Magic Parade and Wishes (fireworks) were seen through the eyes of our enchanted 2 year old.

 We got to enjoy the Train at both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. Both are always fun, but on Rafiki's Wildlife Express we got to enjoy special views of the Rhino's who weren't out on the Safari plains. That is another favorite of Connor's, the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. He goes bananas over seeing the giraffe's and this particular trip they were running around and playing. What a treat for all of us. I cannot express enough what a joy it is to experience Disney with our little boy. It was always special to us, but now it is magical. We did things this trip like watching Lights, Motors, Action, and the Backlot Tour that we haven't done in ages. Connor ate it up. I'm looking forward to our next trip where we will be celebrating a very special person's birthday...

Connor is very lucky because recently there has been a huge delivery from the stork of potential future girlfriends. All joking aside, even if there are no sparks later, it is so exciting to be meeting all of these beautiful little girls who I know will be play friends for Connor. I see years ahead of us of the joy and fun that will be had as they grow up together. Little Mackenzie isn't here yet, but Connor has been very patient with mommy as she and grandma sewed away to make her a very special quilt. Each of these gorgeous girls are so special, and we have prayed for each of them so much. What a miracle it is to watch life unfold before us, stitched together by an ultimate quilter. Each square of fabric working together to create a masterpiece.

Life's a Circus

Shhhhh, do you hear that? No? EXACTLY!!! Saturday and Sunday night we didn't hear anything either....Connor slept through the night both nights!!! We are up to 11 nights total! Let's see if we make two weeks! I just keep telling myself he has to sleep. Everyone sleeps. Right?

 A few weeks ago we got to enjoy the "Greatest Show on Earth" with my family. Grandma Glenda secured some amazing seats for all of us to enjoy, and enjoy we did. I love the animals, but there's something with the stunts that makes me uncomfortable. Connor loved it all! Tigers, Elephants, motorcycles, and dragons, he was on cloud 9. Every time the dragon would come out he would get so excited!

 Our fantastic church, First Baptist Church of Ft. Lauderdale, had a Family Fun day recently as well. It lived up to it's name and it was wonderful to see everyone enjoying the festivities. The big kids enjoyed the food trucks, and Connor couldn't get enough of each bounce house. He was nice and sweaty by the end, which leads us to his tiger face.

This was Connor's first time getting his face painted and after having seen another child walking around as a tiger, Connor was sold! The lady wasn't sure how still he would be and told me she was just going to do something small. I told her she would be surprised and to just go for the full effect. She couldn't get over what a good boy he was. Nice and still, and so well behaved. Tiger Connor indeed!

I love that our church values the family so much. I love that Connor enjoys going to nursery/Sunday School, and that he has his "friends" there. January has been very full, and yet we are lucky enough that it was spent with family and loved ones. We have gotten to see Great Grandpa Ernie and Great Grandma Jo, we have been to Ft. Myers, and even got to spend an entire day with Connor's buddy Nathaniel. Connor has been fighting a cold for about a week now, but at his doctor's appt they measured him at 36.75 inches and 28 pounds. He is growing so fast, and I am so lucky to be a part of his life. Hopefully this bug will pass quickly and we have our little tiger back on his feet. He sure is grrrrrrreat!

Independent Thinker

"In bad times and in good, I've never lost my sense in zest for life." ~Walt Disney

Last night while talking to Tim I asked, "Are you and I going to go out to dinner for my birthday?" To which Connor quickly and enthusiastically replied "YEAH!", thinking I was talking to him. He then added "and daddy too, and choo-choos." What a cutie!

 Five thirty in the morning is rather shocking, especially if it's on a Saturday, and also your birthday, but that's what time we riled the troops. Rarely does my birthday fall on a day that we can travel, so that's just what we did! Disney here we come! We initially planned the trip for just us three, but after talking about our upcoming adventure we got Uncle Casey and Aunt Arielle on board. Look out, here comes Funville, population 5!

We spent our day at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. It was fun getting to roam around and do exactly as we please, each getting to go on rides and drink/eat at your leisure. Tim, Connor, and I even squeezed into Dumbo, and a Speedway race car, at the same time! Great memories. We even got to watch the Epcot fireworks from a special roped off section just for us. What a special birthday it was! After Epcot closed we trudged back to our car, and yes, decided to drive all the way back home (games were necessary). It was a looooong (birth)day to say the least, but absolutely perfect.The night before we had gathered with the rest of the family and Connor got to help me blow out my candles and open all of my presents. It was perfect.

New Year's Eve was spent with our loved ones, and was also the deadline for the photo contest. I am happy to say that I won a Kindle Fire, and I'm so excited to use it with Connor. I wanted something aside from "my" things to use with him. This will be more for him. He is so smart. He is recognizing more and more letters, and just the other day told me correctly that the letter block he was holding was an "A". He's been pretty good about the 4 letters in his own name, but now we're branching out. There are 22 more after all.

He seemed to transition back into spending the day at grandma's very well, though he has been showing signs of being very strong willed over the past week or so. More so than before. The Sunday before school started back up was his first major melt down, all because he wasn't ready to leave grandma's house. He is certainly trying to assert his wants, and testing to see who is boss. It is a very interesting new period in development. It hasn't happened every day, but when it does it's Chernobyl. I know he's frustrated because he wants to say so much more than he is able to, and it has to be frustrating. We just remember to be patient with him, but still let him know we are in charge, we have rules, and he still has to obey. It has gotten better.

My favorite time of the day is saying prayers with him at night. He has been more active in our time praying and I love when we are done and he says "amen". He also slept through one night over break, bringing us to a total of 7 times. That was a nice treat! Tantrums are normal, he really is such a sweet boy and we are so lucky!

Thank You Santa

Santa: "Connor, what would you like for Christmas this year?"

Connor:"Um, tucks, cars, airpanes, and choo-choos."

 Christmas has been so fun with this little goober. He LOVES Christmas lights around the neighborhood, and shouts "pretty, daddy, pretty" in the car when we pass lit homes. He won't stop until we turn and make sure to see exactly which house he is pointing at. Cookies, and baking have been a great adventure with him along to help mix the ingredients, decorate with sprinkles, and gobble up the goodies. He's even a pro and turning on and off the Christmas tree, and insists on doing it himself every time it needs to be done. He takes it upon himself to remind us in the mornings when it needs to be turned on."Tree mommy, tree. On, on!!"

 Winter Break started on Friday Dec. 18, and we immediately drove up to Orlando. Disney has always been special to us, and we decided it was about time to start our Annual Passes back up. Connor is ready, and we're looking forward to a year full of Disney Magic. Merry Christmas to us! We thought it may be a little crowded that particular weekend, but it wasn't too bad. We've been there when it was much much worse. We hit Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom this particular trip, and it was the perfect way to start our Christmas holiday.

 Over the past few years our tradition has been to spend Christmas Eve at our house before heading to the Candlelight Service at church. This year's menu consisted of an appetizer of Cheese Bread Dip (that turned out perfectly thanks to my Nelson-Hamilton ladies), then onto potatoes, carrots, and a delicious Prime Rib Roast. I'm always nervous putting this meal together. There have been some interesting stories in the past, but thankfully everything turned out as planned this year. Actually I think the roast even surpassed my expectations, though Connor couldn't be bothered with it. It isn't mac and cheese after all. The Candlelight Service was beautiful and we were able to spend the wee hours of Christmas morning singing praise to the Lord, and with our loved ones.

 Santa certainly visited our home, and Connor was very satisfied with his list he so sweetly asked for. As I write this he is sitting on the floor with his die-cast Chuggington set having the choo-choo's circle round and round. Of course mommy and daddy added some more things to his Christmas haul, but we couldn't help ourselves. The picnic table has been used every day, and Connor loves sitting at it for breakfast, and all other times he plays. We figured he grow into his bicycle over this next year. He was very excited for it and was able to climb right on top of it. He has no idea how much fun that bike will hold in the future, but it has wheels and he's thrilled!

 Connor came out and immediately sat down at his new table! He may have even eaten the leftover cookies that Santa didn't eat. What a cookie monster!

 His stocking had lots of fun toys inside, including plastic animals and lots of Cars Vinylmations to open up. He liked his stocking so much he almost wasn't ready to move on to the other presents.

 Connor got many toys, but a majority of them either related to Mater, or Chuggington. We have attempted to organize and control the amount of track he has, but after purchasing one rubbermaid bin for his die-cast set, and one rubbermaid bin for his interactive set, we have found we need more bins, it doesn't fit!

 Grandma's house on Christmas morning is magical in and of itself. It always has been. The Guise family knows how to do Christmas, and everyone always feels so special and loved. Connor knew the rocking horse was his, and right away became the perfect cowboy on his bucking bronco.

 Grandma Glenda made sure everyone got their perfect present. Aunt Kaitlyn got the boots she'd been dreaming of, Uncle Casey got the DVD box set he'd been hinting at, Daddy got the golf shoes on his list, and little Connor got an iPod! Though he is only 2, our smarty pants knows just how to work the thing and has a list of favorite apps already. From puzzles, to counting, to letters, it is the perfect present for him. Grandma got me the perfect present too, she printed my blog. Hard cover, almost 200 pages, from pregnancy to Connor's second birthday, pages and pages of memories all packaged in a beautiful book. I cried.

 Papa got Connor a Cars scooter that he figured out very quickly. A few wipe outs, but he's learning what it takes to balance on it, and would immediately get back up and try again. He's all boy!

 Great Grandma and Grandpa Hebebrand came down the day after Christmas and spent a few days with us as well. They of course spoiled Connor, and couldn't get over how much he had grown and developed since the last time they were with him. We are blessed to have four generations together no matter how crazy it can get. Family is family, and we will always have one another.

It's New Year's Eve and I am in awe at how fast 2012 has flown by. We are adjusting to our new normal, and there is never a day that goes by that I don't think of Dad and miss him. Some say the holidays are the worst, but I really don't see a difference in holiday or not. I know he would be so proud of Connor and I miss being able to just talk to him. 2013 holds so much potential. I have many goals, hopes, and dreams for the new year. We will see which pan out, and which will wait until 2014.

 “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them– the LORD, who remains faithful forever” (Psalm 146:5,6).