our weekend

On Saturday morning, Kane and I (sans kids) went to Richmond to see his brother get married! It was my first time leaving Grant, so I was a bit nervous, but he and the boys were in great hands with grandma. We had such a great time! The drive wasn't too bad-only 4 hours from where we live. When we arrived we drove around the city a bit, to get an idea where our hotel and the wedding venue was, then went over to Panera for some lunch. 

After lunch, we checked into our hotel. We hung out there for a while then got ready and headed to the wedding! 

We had SO much fun, especially seeing family that we haven't seen in such a long time. 

We went back to the hotel afterwards and visited with family the rest of the night. We left Sunday afternoon and got home to the babies late afternoon. We had such a great time together, we hope we can get away again soon! :)

Leaving you with this hilarious video of the DJ dancing at the reception-my SIL Traycee and I were dying! 

weekend fun

just a quick weekend recap!

Friday night we had our traditional family night with the boys. We ate pizza, popcorn, and watched a movie. I LOVE Friday nights with all of my guys.

Saturday morning, we went to "old" church for the fall festival. It was scheduled for last weekend, but was postponed due to the stormy weather. The boys had so much!

  

After we all got in a short nap, Kane and I went out for a date! We haven't been out in a long time (this is only the 3rd time since Grant has been born!), so it was SO nice to spend one-on-one time with Kane. We went to a 4:30 movie (yay for catching the matinee!) and then went for Japanese afterwards-but don't be fooled, this semi-vegetarian had the veggie noodle bowl. We usually do dinner then movie, but the other way is definitely the way to go. We usually have to eat an early dinner (when we aren't that hungry) and then rush to get to a 7-something movie. It has only taken us almost 8 years to figure this out :)

Yesterday after Church, our Sunday School Class went to the pastor's house for lunch. It was just a little chaotic with ALL of the kids, but so much fun getting to know the people we have been doing church with for several months now. Kane and I (along with another couple) actually had dinner with the pastor & his wife a few weeks ago. 

And of course, per tradition, we went to my parent's house for Sunday night dinner. 

Happy Monday!

anniversary & our week

saturday marked 5 years of being married! 

we are so blessed! Saturday night we were able to sneak away for dinner and a walk around town. we kept it pretty low key-which is perfect for us!

*******************

this past week has been MISERABLY hot, but there were a few mornings early last week that were near perfect, so we took advantage of it!

grant LOVES his feet right now. & besides, this is the only time in ones life that it is okay to suck on your toes, right?! 

i wanted to do a test run the other day to see how he would like purees. i was going to wait a bit longer before introducing food, but he LOVED the apples so i think we might go ahead and start him slow.

baby bottoms are the best. & in case you are wondering that is a size 18 mon onesie he is wearing. baby boy is not missing any meals.

all for now!

four years

today, kane and i are celebrating four years of marriage! 

happy anniversary kane!

the week ahead

our week ahead is going to be super busy.

{one}: we have vbs every evening this week-the boys are super excited!

{source}

{two}: we have harp's appointment scheduled for early wednesday morning-because we live almost 3 hours away from chapel hill (with traffic), harp and i will probably head out that way tuesday night and stay at the ronald mcdonald house. please continue to keep harp in your prayers.

{source}

{three}: this thursday marks four years of marriage for kane and me! because of vbs, we won't be able to do anything until later this weekend sometime (hopefully!)

{four}: last year my laptop crashed so we bought a desktop. call me crazy, but i actually prefer a desktop... because of the hours of internet classes i take, a flatscreen monitor is much easier (and more comfortable) to do schoolwork on then a laptop. however, the obvious problem with desktops is portability. because i know there will be multiple appointments away from home with harp, we decided to get a netbook....you know those mini-laptops with 10in screens? ;) i actually like it a lot and it will certainly serve it's purpose of getting some schoolwork done when i'm away from home!

{source}

and now that i have a webcam,  i'm going to google how to skype people (i know, i know...i'm a bit behind). and once i have that figured out,  i'm totally going to get up with bethany@oursimplelife. so there's your warning, bethany! ;)

hope everyone has a great week!

V-Day

Kane and I have never been big on Valentine's Day.

Some years we go out to eat, other years we skip the dinner out altogether.

Because of the recent move, we decided to opt out of Valentine's Day this year.

Because really, why save aside one day out of the year to honor your significant other, when you have the opportunity to do so anytime you wish?

Commercialism, folks. Straight-up commericalism. But thats another post ;)

Regardless, my honey brought home two of my favorite things:

A box of chocolates:

{source}

And a bottle of Hatteras Red:

{source}

 And now I'm spending the evening eating my chocolates and having a glass (or two...) of wine.

But not with my husband.

No...I'm doing so while writing a paper for class.

That's life, folks!

Happy Valentine's Day!

what NOT to wear...

Okay, so I'm totally stealing the basic idea from Bethany, but I just couldn't help myself.

She just wrote a post about must-haves for women, so I thought I'd write a post for the men...only this will be a "what not to wear" edition.

Feel free to share with your husbands.

Before I continue, let me be the first to note that although I am drawing inspiration for the post from my husband, who is not known for his fashion ability, I am in no way shape or form picking on him. This is just a friendly reminder of what not to wear (outside of the walls of our home). Unless Kane I mean your husband, is (a) going to the dump or (b) its Halloween.

So here it is...My collection of "What Not To Wear" for the guys.

one. White socks with dress pants. Especially on our your wedding day.

two. Beige Canvas slip-ons with khakis...Really, they only look 'decent' with jeans. Actually, just do your husband a favor and throw them away.

 

three. Buy your husband shirts that fit. For the longest time, Kane swore he could wear a medium, so everyday I would watch him squeeze into one. Only it looked like he is wearing a bellyshirt (ie. not attractive). So he finally gave in and let me buy him large. Truthfully, I really need to shop at Big and Tall for him because he is so long, but I'll have to ease him into that idea. Baby steps, folks. Take baby steps.

four. Colorful undershirts. Stick with white or black when wearing them under the nice shirt. Because regardless of what you think, everyone can see the bright colors poking out from under your shirt. Seriously.

five. Finally men...never ever ever never 'wear' a unibrow. Its such a simple fix. Let your wives take care of that problem for you. You'll have more confidence if you do. And if not, then at least your wives will appreciate it.

Now ladies, make sure to be sensitive to your husbands' feelings. Don't badger them day in and day out over their clothing choices. Simply introduce the idea one clothing article at a time. And if that doesn't work, hide the undesirable items. And as for the uni, slip some Tylenol PM in their drink at dinner-you can take care of the unibrow while they are sleeping, and they will be none the wiser (just kidding..:)

Here...

Not anything significant to report here at the Trochelman household.

Life has been pretty busy. I'm finishing up another semester of college, so my workload has increased considerably.

The boys are doing great. They have more energy than I can ever remember having, and continue to amuse me each and every day.

Carson's new excuse for doing something wrong is, "Mama...I don't know why I did dat. I guess I just got carried away!"

Sure son...

He is still a movie-maniac. He loves all movies. His current favorite is Enchanted. And if I have to hear the song "That's how you know" one more time...

And Harp...my sweet Harper...I'm not honestly sure what the kid does all day. He is often seen putting his shoes on. And taking them off. And putting them on. You get the point. He also has this odd obsession with wipes. He constantly has one in his hand, and wipes every crease and crevice on his body. Strange. I know.

Kane and I were able to sneak out on a quick, impromptu date Saturday night. And ohmygoodness it was greatly needed. I love my babies more than words could ever be able to describe. But I love their daddy, too. And we really needed that time away from them. We went and saw Paranormal Activity 2. I can't believe I'm about to type this, but it was soo good. I'm not usually into those kind of movies because they typically end up being really cheesy, but I must admit, it was pretty decent for a horror flick.

The weather here is finally starting to cool off, and I am escatic! I dread the humid summers here, so the cool air is greatly appreciated.

With that being said, can you believe it is November??? Where has time gone? Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and then Christmas! Christmas? Seriously?? Already? It is so incredible how fast life is passing by. By this time next year, Carson will be in pre-school. I am still in denial. And what am I going to do with just one child at home? hmmm..... ;) 

Leaving you with an attempt at a family picture from last night...And let me warn you, mama is looking rough...

boys will be boys...

dwell on this...

dwell on this...

We're Bringing Boring Back...

This is a continuation of the post I wrote a few weeks ago. Jeney from Wasteland Ministries suggested I try and put a spin on the whole "boring" thing so I'll try and make us (being boring) sound extremely trendy.

One of our favorite things to do while Kane and I were courting was going "moonlightin'" every weekend. That consisted of driving to a remote area, spreading a blanket out on the car, and watching the stars. Pretty romantic, huh? ;)

Yeah, Kane was real smooth.

Lets fast-forward to present day. This is Mr. Romantic now...

 Yup.

Moving on...

I spend the weeknights busy with my internet classes, but on the weekends you can typically find us entertaining ourselves after hours (aka-after the kiddos go to bed) like this:

Sometimes, Kane's sister and her husband will  feel sorry for us come over and play board games with us. And The Trochelmans'  l.o.v.e. board games.

And if we are feeling spunky, we'll add in a little bit of this:

So anyways, there it is. What this boring couple exciting, trendy, daring couple do on our spare time.

Cheap, quality entertainment.

It's okay to be jealous.

mr. and mrs. boring

Hello, we are The Trochelmans...otherwise known as Mr. and Mrs. Boring.

We weren't always so boring. Years ago, we were the life of the party. We had friends. Great friends. We were spontaneous. We always had somewhere to go and some kind of trouble to get into.

And then...

Life happened.

We got married. And had kids (not necessarily in that order...;)

And the people we once loved to be around had such drastically different lives than us. We lost contact. Sometime after we got married, we were pretty enthusiastic about finding married couples with kids with whom we could befriend. But somehow we never really found the time. And truth be told, its not as easy as it may seem. Mom groups are a big "no" for me, because as much as I love my boys, I don't want to sit around and just talk about them.

So I had this epiphany the other day after talking with Bethany about the topic:

We Don't Fit In.

We are too young for many people's liking. We don't exactly have an "entertaining" kind of home. And we are loners. Somewhere along the way, we just stopped trying.

And I kind of really miss having those friends that you could just call/text whenever. Who never judges you. People with whom you can discuss important issues and the mundane. 

Kane is my best friend. But he really doesn't "get" some of the things I talk about. And bless his heart, he tries. And the same goes for him. He always has these boring interesting things to tell me, but sometimes it just goes over my head.

So...here it goes folks...

Will you be our friends?? 

okay I'm kind of joking. This is the web. We need real life friends. And besides, I have this eerie feeling I'm going to have (zero) comments...

food for thought...

Happy Anniversary Kane!!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

To Love Their Husbands

I'm linking up with Lauren for To Love Their Husbands Tuesdays.

I wrote the following a few months ago, and thought I'd re-post it!

By the time Kane gets home every evening, I've had it with the boys. I mean had it. Around 5 pm everyday (conveniently, the same time I'm trying to wash dishes and make dinner) the boys lose it. They turn into these horrible little creatures, and I become less than patient with them. So when Kane walks in the door (around 6 or so) I am more than relieved. After we eat dinner, Kane gives them a bath, plays with them, reads to them, and then brushes their teeth (all the while I pop in and out of their activities). Usually I'm cleaning the kitchen, etc. while they do all of this.

While we were separated, I did all of this by myself, so believe me when I say, I do not take Kane for granted. However, I do forget how much of a help Kane is. I forget sometimes how lucky and blessed I am to have a husband who is a loving and attentive father.

I think it is sooo easy to take for granted how important our spouses are. Kane works long hours everyday, and then comes home and jumps right in to help me finish up dinner and play with the boys. He gives the boys their baths 95% of the time. And always brushes their teeth in the evenings. The boys are crazy about their daddy, and I'm pretty fond of him too! This week (and every from this point on) I vow to remember how very blessed and thankful that I am!

this and that

1. It has been terribly humid here in Southeastern NC. We had a cold winter, spring-like weather for about a week, and now the hot air has settled in, promising for a very hot summer. That means the boys have spending many a days in their splash pool. And they love it.

They laugh and laugh at each other. I just can't see the humor in splashing each other. But apparently they do. I suppose its a brother/toddler thing.

2. I'm reading a new book now called Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff. I have seriously not stopped laughing since I've picked it up. I was planning on ordering Plan B by Pete Wilson, but decided to hold off on it and get something a little less heavy. I just finished Angie Smith's very emotional  I Will Carry You, so I opted for something light.

3. I got my final grades for the Spring Semester last week. 3 A's and a B. I was really disappointed in my B, but only because it was a point from an A. The tests in Developmental Psychology were fairly difficult, so I'm satisfied with my work.

4. It was Mother's Day on Sunday, so we all went out to eat at the Texas Roadhouse and had a wonderful time. We are very blessed to have such a wonderful family.

 

all for now!

for kane

By the time Kane gets home every evening, I've had it with the boys. I mean had it. Around 5 pm everyday (conveniently, the same time I'm trying to wash dishes and make dinner) the boys lose it. They turn into these horrible little creatures, and I become less than patient with them. So when Kane walks in the door (around 6 or so) I am more than relieved. After we eat dinner, Kane gives them a bath, plays with them, reads to them, and then brushes their teeth (all the while I pop in and out of their activities). Usually I'm cleaning the kitchen, etc. while they do all of this.

While we were separated, I did all of this by myself, so believe me when I say, I do not take Kane for granted. However, I do forget how much of a help Kane is. I forget sometimes how lucky and blessed I am to have a husband who is a loving and attentive father.

Thank You Babe

imperfection

i am an imperfect wife. an imperfect mother. and most certainly an imperfect christian.

when i think back over the past 5 years of my life, i cannot help but be stunned at the events that have occurred, and they would appear to anyone as imperfect.

you see about 5 years ago, i had my whole life waiting for me. i was on top of the world; great friends. great boyfriend. an acceptance letter in my hand. i was floating. and then i woke up to reality, and quickly began to drown.

two weeks before graduation, i found out i was pregnant. shock. disbelief. fear. anger. i really could not wrap my mind around what that meant. everything i had ever worked for was gone. just like that. or so i thought in my immature and unprepared 18 year old mind.  

by my 19th birthday, i was a mom. to the most beautiful, squishy, blue-eyed little boy in the world. and i was married. even so, i couldn't help but think, not exactly how i thought this year would go.

by my 20th birthday, i was a mom again to another gorgeous, chubby, serene little boy. even then, i would look around at the chaos in my life, still in disbelief.

the following year, kane and i separated. for nine months of my life, i was lost. in shock. hollow. depressed. but i have never in my life felt so close to God. i had more faith during that time in my life than i could have ever imagined. and even though i would never want to re-experience that time in my life, i am so grateful for it as well. because it has taught me a lifetime of lessons. it has strengthened my marriage. and my relationship with God.

and now, present day, it still shocks me that this is my life. my imperfect life.

as i said before, i am an imperfect christian. i forget to read my bible. i most certainly do not always exhibit Christ-like behavior. i am not always pleasant to be around. [especially on mondays]. but something that i do think that i am good at is having faith. believe me when i say, i have a lot of faith.

i am learning that regardless of how much i plan and plot, God has already prepared my path. i'm curious as to how the next 5 years of my life will be like. almost a little nervous. but i will [try to] remember to hold onto what i know. and i know faith.

so even though my life may seem imperfect, i think that God may just see it all as flawless-because it has all happened according to His plan.