Christmas, 2010

Santa Claus visited our house the day before Christmas Eve since we were going to be out of town on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...wasn't that nice of him? Logan must have been good in 2010 because he received many presents and he became a pro at opening them (ripping the paper off and pulling out tissue paper from gift bags). Christmas was more magical this year in the Bowman household...I guess having a children around makes everything more magical!

Logan and his new Woody doll

Logan, opening his new scooter

Riding his new scooter

Logan and his cousin, Ryder

Logan and Ryder, playing the piano

Merry Christmas!

Hope your Christmas morning (and all your mornings in 2011) are filled with joy!

Love,

The Bowmans

Jesse, Erin, Logan and Nemo

Notice the p.j.s and "bedhead"

A picture where Logan is actually smiling

Dear Friends (and a little tailgating mixed in)

As a special education teacher I have never had a classroom all to myself. I always share a classroom with another teacher or teachers. While most people might think it is not desirable to share a classroom, it has been an absolute blessing for me. At my first teaching job I had the pleasure of sharing my office/classroom with Angie. Sharing a office with Angie was just the beginning of a lifelong friendship. After I was no longer working at that school, Angie and I continued to meet weekly for lunch. She has since moved away, but we still keep in touch. Angie and I have shared many, many laughs and I will always have a special place in my heart for her. After leaving that teaching job, I was hired at my current position and met my then-roommate, Lesley. Lesley and I became fast friends and she was a valuable mentor to me. After two years of sharing a room, Lesley and her husband moved out of the Bloomington area, but we have continued to get together with her and her husband. In fact, 4 years ago we purchased season football tickets at the University of Illinois with Lesley and Tim. We have enjoyed tailgating and cheering on the winning/losing/winning/losing Illini team. Last weekend was our last home game of the season and it was a memorable one...Illini lost, but we still managed to have a good time. Lesley has always been someone that I feel comfortable telling anything...she is an amazing person, teacher and friend. My more recent roommate, Lyndsey, has also become one of my best friends. We have shared ups and downs together and she has taught me so much about being a good friend and being a good teacher. I am so incredibly blessed to have been paired up with these amazing women and I will be forever changed for the better because of them. I love you Angie, Lesley and Lyndsey!

Tailgating with Lesley and Tim

Fall Family Fun!

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Logan Turns 2!

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Charity

I am one of the lucky ones...my life has been blessed by God over and over again and I have so much to be thankful for. So, when I see someone standing on the side of the road with a sign that says, "Homeless, please help!" I instinctivly want to help him/her, in fact, I often pull over and give those individuals a few dollars, but I always feel bad about it because I feel like I'm enabling them (which I'm not really by only give them a few dollars). I often feel bad about giving to charity because I feel like I'm contributing to the problem instead of truly helping someone. In my daily life I face this dilema with my 2-year old son and my students. My son and my students often want help with something and I want to provide the help, but I'm very deliberate in how I provide the help. I teach them to use tools or I teach them strategies to solve problems opposed to doing things for them (not always though, sometimes I'm just tired and I take the "shortcut" by doing it for them, but most of the time my help comes in the form of a lesson). So, after giving the man tonight outside of McDonalds a few dollars and feeling bad about it, I got to thinking about how I could give him a tool or a strategy to truly help him and the only thing that came to my mind...GOD! Instead of giving that man a couple dollars I should have given him the phone number/address to my church. I should have lead him to people and resources that will eventually lead him closer to God. I should have prayed for him and I should have told him that Jesus loves him...and that's exactly what I will do next time!

WOW!!!

When the Goal Is Out of Your Reach

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook today and I had to repost it because it is exactly what has been on my heart lately. Check it out...

http://www.hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-most-important-relationship/when-the-goal-is-beyond-your-reach-6134

Good Memories

Our lives seem to be getting busier and busier and we're lovin' every minute of it. We have been blessed with many opportunities to visit with friends and family in recent months. Some of our more recent memorable events include hangin' out in Lena with Dad and Peggy, going to the Cubs/Cards game in St. Louis, and Illini football games with family and our favorite tailgating friends, Lesley and Tim. Jesse also spent a lot of time cleaning and waxing the Mustang since it is now "For Sale"...we were able to get some cute pics with Logan in the classic car. We thank God daily for so many moments that will become incredible memories:

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Thankful List

A couple weeks ago our pastor gave a sermon about being thankful and praising God for all the blessings in our life. During the sermon he listed some of the things that were on his "Thankful List". When I got home that Sunday, I created my own thankful list...

I am thankful for...

1. God's unconditional love and grace.

2. Jesus' sacrifice so that I will have eternal life.

3. Eastview Christian Church members and leaders.

4. The Bible.

5. Sunshine.

6. Daffodils and petunias.

7. Jesse and Logan because they love me unconditionally and make me laugh daily.

8. Thomas the Train because he brings such joy to my son.

9. My mom who taught me sooooo much and loved and supported me for 27 years.

10. My dad because he always lets me know how proud of me he is and because he is an awesome grandfather.

11. Peggy because she loves my dad just the way he is.

12. My siblings who are all very different from me, but have taught me to respect those differences and because I love them all very much!

13. My in-laws for accepting me into their family and loving me no matter what.

14. My job because it challenges me daily, but I truly enjoy every challenge.

15. My co-workers who have taught me so much.

16. My students who have also taught me so much.

17. Oreos, peanut butter and pizza because they are yummy!

18. DVR because without it I would never get to see my shows since my husband is so thankful for his Playstation 3.

19. Libraries (free books!!!...who doesn't love free stuff!)

20. My doctors and dentists who I trust completely.

21. Music.

22. All my friends who know everything about me and love me and support me even though they know everything about me.

23. The people who work at Culvers--they are always soooooo friendly.

24. My home, sweet, home.

25. Shelly and the Hart family for loving Logan and taking such good care of him every day.

26. Nemo because he cuddles with me when I'm sad.

27. Comfy blankets and good books.

28. Blogs...

I Was So Mad

I love Mercer Mayer books! Every time I go to the library I pick up a few of them for Logan. One of my favorites is entitled I Was So Mad. I remember reading this book (and some of the other Mercer Mayer books) when I was young. I realize now why they are so appealing to kids...they are written from a kid's point of view. The other night when I was reading I Was So Mad to Logan, I suddenly realized that he must feel "so mad" quite often. Some days I just have to follow him around the house telling him "No", "Please don't do that" and "If you don't stop by the time I get to '3' you are going to have a time out!" It must make him "so mad" to not be allowed to jump on the couch, stand on the dishwasher door, play in Nemo's water bowl, throw his toys, play in the fireplace, etc...He just doesn't understand that he could fall and get hurt or break something or make a mess for his parents. He doesn't understand and it just makes him "so mad" (see picture below). So, while rules are important and meaningful, we recognize that sometimes it's okay to break the rules...sometimes breaking the rules can be fun and sometimes breaking the rules can make us soooo happy!

"I was so mad because mom and dad kept making me pose for pictures!"

-Logan

Happy Birthday Grandpa Bowman!

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Family

I am incredibly blessed to have two amazing families...the Myers family and the Bowman family. Jesse, Logan and I have had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with each of them this summer. Two weekends ago my dad and his girlfriend, Peggy came down for a few days to hang out and see Jesse's band perform at the Blues Festival. We took Logan to Miller Park to play in the water and see the animals at the zoo. We also ate lots of good food and listened to some good music at the Blues Festival. Last weekend we met up with Jesse's family in Wisconsin. His parents rented a cabin for a few days. We hung out, ate good food, played with water balloons and visited a train museum. Good times...good people...GREAT MEMORIES!

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God Gave Me You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hQK6GIrpYU
(Click here to view the video of my latest favorite song.)

I love this song!

The first time I heard this song, of course I thought of Jesse...my best friend and the person who loves me no matter what. Jesse definitely helps me through the ups and downs. He also reminds me of what is truly important when I doubt myself.

The second time I heard this song, I thought of Logan...my son and another person who loves me no matter what, helps me through the ups and downs and reminds me of what is truly important in life.

I love you Jesse! I love you Logan!

Sing for Wishes

About a year ago Jesse joined a band called The Blurklezurps. They play positive music from the past to the present and they enjoying providing entertainment to crowds at a variety of locations and events. This past Saturday they performed at the "Sing for Wishes" charity event at Gill Street Bar and Grill. They performed with Kimberly Caldwell, former American Idol contestant, and some local celebrities. The event raised money for the Make a Wish Foundation. It was a rockin' good time!!!

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4th of July

For the weekend of the 4th, Jesse's family traveled to Bloomington to hang out with us. We spent almost the entire weekend hanging out in the backyard, playing games and watching Logan and Ryder play and swim. We also took the boys to see their first fireworks, which they thoroughly enjoyed. It was an awesome weekend!

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Playdate With Collin and Chloe

I've enjoyed getting together with friends this summer and watching Logan "socialize". Here are some pictures from a playdate in early July with my friends' kiddos, Collin and Chloe.

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Summer Fun

The weather has been BEAUTIFUL lately and Logan and I have been enjoying many trips to the parks around town, bike rides, walks, visits with friends and playing in the sandbox and pool at our house. I love summer!

Memories of Mom

The other night Jesse asked me a question about my mom before she was sick and I couldn't really remember the answer. I often have difficulty remembering her before she was sick since she was diagnosed when I was only 20 years old and she was sick for 7 years after. So, here are some of the things I do remember from before she was sick:
~She was beautiful!
~She was ALWAYS reading a book...I even remember her reading a book once while she was curling her hair (curling iron in her right hand and book in her left hand).
~She loved playing sports and working out...she was always going for a walk, a bike ride or walking on the treadmill. I also remember going to many of her softball games when I was younger.
~She ironed everything...even her jeans.
~She loved The Sound of Music and Tim McGraw's song, "Don't Take the Girl".
~She was very competitive. Even when she played games with me, she never let me win as many mothers might often do. She always beat me and she enjoyed winning :)
~She spent many hours helping me with my homework and helping me study.
~She was a great listener!
~She was not good at singing, cooking, scrapbooking or decorating (many things that women take pride in these days), BUT she was good at the important stuff...being a good friend, having fun, laughing and loving.
~She was my best friend!

Our Trip to the Lone Star State

I've always loved traveling. I haven't been to too many places in my life, but each trip I have taken has been memorable. Our trip to Texas last week was definitely memorable and quite enjoyable. We decided to begin by driving to the Houston area to visit my uncle, Tony, and his wife, Lezlie. We visited the local pool and boardwalk where we went on rides and ate good food. We also drove to Galveston to go shopping and to go to the beach. I always love going to Galveston (I have been there several times). It has changed some since the last time I was there due to much hurricane damage. After spending three days with Tony and Lezlie, we packed up the car again and headed to the Austin area to visit friends, Mike, Marla, Colby and Brady James (and our new friend, Oliver, their lovable dog!). We visited the Austin Zoo (which Logan loved!) and downtown Austin to see the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue and the University of Texas football stadium. The next day we traveled to San Antonio to see The Alamo. While we were in San Antonio we went on the River Walk...what a beautiful city! The last day of our vacation was spent in the car traveling home...home sweet home! We are so grateful to our hosts for the week...thanks for taking care of us! We hope to go back again some day! Play the slideshow below to see pictures from our trip:

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The Bad And The Good

People often say, do you want the good news or the bad news first? Usually I like to hear the bad news first...

I've been off work now for a week and it has definitely been eventful! Nemo, our 11-year old Jack Russel terrier, has been very sick. It is very upsetting to Jesse and me to see him so sick (it is also very upsetting to be cleaning up vomit and poop all the time). He's been to the vet a few times, and is much better, but he is still getting sick at least once a day...we hope he will be all better very soon. Logan is also sick. Today he had a 103 degree temperature and he just isn't himself...I'm suspecting another ear infection, but we won't know for sure until I take him to the doctor on Monday. Seeing our beloved dog and son in pain bring us down, but we continue to put faith in God and know that He is good and that everything will be better soon. Speaking of good...

I am off work for the summer and I'm enjoying my time with Logan...he continues to amaze me everyday...he is so smart and so funny. We were able to spend a few days in Lena visiting with family and my good friend, Tabitha. Logan enjoyed hanging out with his "Pa Pa" and my dad's dog, Scooter. He also enjoyed some time with Tabitha's kids, Henry and Emily. On another good note, we have found our daycare provider for the Fall and we're excited about the new friends Logan will make. We are also looking forward to our trip to Texas in a week to see family and friends. There are also many other exciting events coming up this summer with family and friends...we have so much to be thankful for!

Logan now says, "Cheese!" when his picture is taken

Following "Pa Pa" (Grandpa)

Logan loves Scooter, Pa Pa's dog

Emily, wearing her older brother, Henry's, shoes

Logan and Emily

Goin' for a ride

Emily knows what to do when posing for a picture...smile!

Harley dude!

Logan and Mommy swingin'

Keeping Up With the Bowmans

We've had a very busy Spring. We've hung out with family and friends and attended weddings. Logan has been enjoying his days with Uncle Dane. He has changed sooooo much in the past few months...he's such a big boy. Jesse has been busy volunteering his time with sports outreach at our church and his band. They have many exciting gigs planned for the summer: June 5th at the Bloomington Farmer's Market 9:30-Noon; July 10th at Gill Street Bar and Grill (Make a Wish Foundation event) performing with Kimberly Caldwell (former American Idol contestant); July 18th at the Blues Festival at Tri-Lakes at 2:30; Slick Ricks on August 28th, October 9th, and November 27th. Erin has been busy with school and she only has 4 days left. She's looking forward to having time off and spending her days entertaining an almost 2-year-old. We're looking forward to a family vacation to Texas in June, a weekend at the Wisconsin Dells with Jesse's family and a big family reunion with Erin's mom's family in August.

Just hangin' out

Logan and Ryder

Logan loves putting things on his head

Logan and Ryder

Logan loves Mommy's cupcakes

Hangin' out with the Ellison family

Cool dude

Hunting for Easter eggs

Playing ball with Daddy