Just Another Day In Paradise

Jasper - 8 months old

2012-01-31T17:13:00.001-06:00

This little person will be 8 months old tomorrow and oooh boy have we reached the 'fun' stage! He has learned the art of crawling (more like inchworming, but it gets him where he wants to go) so needless to say, he's getting into everything. He's constantly putting little random bits of stuff that he finds on the floor in his mouth - an old sticker here, a bit of fuzz there. A cord, a raisin, a leaf, a lego, a whoknowswhatthatisgetitoutofyourmouth.

He's such a happy little guy. That is, until you try to contain him. Pack 'n play, saucer, swing? Forget it. Well, he might like it for like 30 seconds. And I've got to get something done, like feed the other two little people in this house so let's try wearing him. He's 22+ lbs so I've been wrapping him on my back lately. And have I mentioned, he loves to pull hair. I hardly ever wear my hair down anymore for this very reason, and when he's on my back he sees a ponytail and thinks its a fun toy to grab and yank on.

And we're getting our two front teeth in! They are about halfway in. He's been 'experimenting' with how fun it is to have two bottom teeth and two top teeth. He especially loves to gnaw on my shoulder as I tote him around the house.

But isn't he cute? He really is a fun little guy. I knew this stage was coming and I was savoring every moment of when he was a content little baby who would lay on his back and play with a block for 20 minutes.

Just the ramblings of a tired mama who has a husband who's been working A LOT.

Good thing he's ADORABLE.

A video!

2012-01-27T08:10:00.001-06:00

We were bored. Nothing fancy or crazy funny. Just us hanging out. (Mostly for grandparents craving to see grandkids' little faces+voices) Reese doesn't talk very loud, but she's talking about her friends Maddie, Nola and Jake who live next door/across the street. She loooves playing with Maddie every day when she comes home from school! Beckett acts a little silly since he's 3 and this video makes him look like he has a big head. Which, I don't know, maybe he really does. And Jasper does not make an appearance since he was sleeping :)

Happy Friday!

My husband, the car salesman!

2012-01-25T07:46:00.001-06:00

Wade is employed!

I snapped this picture before his first day of work last week. Like a kid before the first day of school :) Isn't he cute?

As you all know, we moved down to Florida without a job. It was crazy, and yet we were at peace with it, knowing (hoping?) that God would open up doors for the path he wanted us to follow. We probably had about a dozen people tell us how hard it was to find a job in our area or how high unemployment was around here.

Well, it took about a week, but he got hired on at a Nissan dealership selling cars. And in case you didn't know, my dad has been in the car business my entire life, so I find this to be quite funny. Who knows how long he'll be doing it, but for now it's a job. He might love it or he might not, but he's always had the mentality that he'll be the best at what he does, no matter what he's doing, so I have a feeling he's going to do great. He's already sold his first car!

So here's to long hours and uncertain paychecks, but Wade has a job!!!!!!

Feels like I'm on vacation...

2012-01-24T13:23:00.001-06:00

We're playing at the pool today. In January. :)

We have the entire pool to ourselves because apparently 80 is too chilly for everyone else to go swimming? The water is freeeeezing, so Jasper and I don't have our suits on, but R&B are livin' it up out there with a mermaid Barbie and a Transformer from a Happy Meal.

My Batkids

2012-01-22T11:05:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to share a quick video with you, hope it works. I was in my bathroom (yes, my own bathroom. ahh!) getting ready for the day, while the kids were bouncing on the bed. If you watch the video, you'll see Reese introduce herself as Batgirl, Beckett as Batman, and that would, of course, make Jasper, Batbaby. Captain Hook (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates) was trying to steal Batbaby, so Batgirl called the fairies (from Barbie's Fairytopia) to create the color dome and save the day.

It got pretty intense for a moment, but everyone's still here, so I assume all turned out okay.

Wade's working today (more on that later) so the kids and I are on our own again. We didn't go to church this morning. It's not fun bouncing from church to church trying to find something that fits all of what we are looking for. We've gone to 3 so far and it's hard not to compare them to Naz. I keep having to remind myself that just because it's different, doesn't mean it can't have potential.

And on an unrelated note, Reese got her first experience with fire ants yesterday! We'd been warned about them several times and yesterday morning we found out first hand what everyone was talking about. She was playing hide and see, standing next to a tree and counting, when she came running towards me SCREAMING. She was standing on an ant hill and didn't even know it. They wait to bite you until there's like 20 of them on you. Even though she ran across the yard, her feet were still covered with crawling little red ants. Poor thing. They left small, itchy red bumps, but she seems to be fine today! And we continue to learn this Florida lifestyle...

Things are going well!

2012-01-09T23:53:00.000-06:00

We spent the first day of 2012 on the beach :)

We've been here for 11 days now and I must say things are going great so far! I'd say 80% of things are unpacked and have found a home. That last 20% is the hardest! It's all the stuff that I don't need right at the moment, but have no idea where to put.

Today we went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. We live in a development where families can pick a style of house out of 4 or so different models - so all the houses around us look identical to ours, just a different shade of beige. "Cookie cutter houses" as they are loving referred to. Not our style, but it's a million times better than the last house! I don't love that we are kind of far away from everything and that the houses are all so close together, but there's a pool and sidewalks so we'll be just fine. Other positives include our own bathroom/walk-in closet in the master suite, a DISHWASHER (!!!!), an attached garage, a large, open living area. Maybe I'll give you a video tour soon?

The tricky part now is getting ourselves acquainted with the area. Finding things to do, friends to play with, a church to call home. We've been to 2 so far. All old people. (Literally. At both churches we were the only family with young kids.) And I love old people! But we're looking for families. People like us, with small children, who can be our friends. We will keep looking - I know it's all a process.

The kids have been doing so well. They really have been taking care of each other. Reese got to Skype with her friend Talia tonight, which was so good for her. She was giggling and acting silly like they were really together. It kind of makes me tear up just thinking about that. I worry about her making friends and feeling like she fits in somewhere. (Expect future emotional posts - I have a feeling there will be a few...)

And did you know, in Florida they celebrate New Year's Eve with fireworks? Not like a community show, like random people everywhere just shooting off big fireworks. All. Night. Long. We put the kids to bed around 8ish, and got so annoyed because the neighbor across the street was lighting off big LOUD fireworks and keeping the kids up. Then we realized it was everyone, with a ton a midnight. Who knew?!

We sure do miss everyone already. I miss phone calls and texts from friends wanting to get together. I miss having a bunch of little things to do on my calendar. I'm hoping God will reveal to us why we are here soon. Although, who knows, it could take years!

2012-01-05T20:51:00.001-06:00

"My deepest fear is waking up twenty years from now still the same woman I amtoday. With the same annoying habits and petty attitudes; with the samebesetting sins and false beliefs. I can't imagine anything more terrible thengetting to the end of my life only to discover that God had so much more in mindfor me - more freedom, more joy, more peace, more true effectiveness. And I hadmissed it all, simply because I refused to change."Joanna Weaver

WE'RE HERE!! Taking a walk in our new neighborhood :)

2011-12-30T10:45:00.001-06:00

Atlanta!

2011-12-29T17:33:00.001-06:00

2011-12-29T09:52:00.001-06:00

St. Louis!

2011-12-28T16:26:00.001-06:00

That feeling right before you jump.

2011-12-16T15:34:00.000-06:00

I've never been skydiving.

Wade has, and while I'd love to, at this point I can only imagine what it must feel like the moment right before you voluntarily leap out of an airplane that is 12,000 feet in the air.

While I haven't jumped out of a plane, I have jumped off of a 40 ft waterfall. It was the worst feeling in the world, followed by the best feeling in the world. Thoughts included, "What the heck are you doing? I should just get down from here right. now. This is crazy. What if you get hurt? Or worse, die!!!! Okay, you probably won't die, but it's still probably not a good idea. All right, I'm just gonna do it! Here I gooooo..... No, I can't. This is waaay to scary. I've never done anything like this before and I feel like I'm gonna be sick. But it does look kinda fun... I wonder how long I'm gonna stand here before I actually jump. What if I chicken out and it's something I always wish I'd done, I'll be so mad at myself. Ohmygoodness, THIS IS AWFUL!"

That's exactly what I feel like right now.

I feel like I was brave and made the decision to put on the suit and get on the plane, and it now I'm at that moment where they open up the big door and say, "Okay, there's nothing left to do now but jump! Don't worry, it'll be awesome!" And the my only thoughts are, "AH! WHAT WAS I THINKING!?!?"

I love this little town. I love my friends here. I love that my family is relatively close. We are making decent money. We could buy a big house with all the money we have saved up. Wade still doesn't have a job. We'll be renting again, which means this next place won't be completely "home" yet. Why on earth are we doing this again?

But back to top of that waterfall in Japan, I did eventually jump. Twice. And it was incredible. I'm so glad I did it, even though I was scared. Because that's what being brave means - even if you're scared, do it anyways. I always tell my swim lesson kids when they are afraid to jump in to me, "It's all right to be a little scared, but I want you just try it anyways. You'll see that it'll be alright, and you actually might like it!" I need to listen to myself a little bit right now!

At this point, there's no turning back now. The paper's have been signed. The money's been sent - a whole year's worth of rent! We're moving to Florida. I know everything will be okay. But still, I feel like I'm on the edge of that plane looking down and saying, "AH! WHAT WAS I THINKING!?!?"

Storytime at Hartman

2011-12-14T21:14:00.001-06:00

Yesterday the kids and I met some friends at Hartman Reserve Nature Center. (The kids and I are often doing little stuff like this, but I rarely blog about it, so I'm going to try to get better about remembering to document the littler things). This was our first time at this little activity. A staff member read a book about snowmen, made a 'Snowman in a Sack' for a craft, then made little snowman snacks out of mini doughnuts!

Then, since it was ~~not so freezing cold it's painful~~ relatively nice out, we took a little hike to explore. Well, in December everythings pretty much dead, so there's not much to really see but we poked around nonetheless.

We asked a friendly deer to take a picture of us. ;) Poor baby Jasper looks like he's hanging on for dear life!

Everyone was hungry and worn out when we headed back to the van. On the walk back, I felt something sharp against my finger that wasn't normally there. I didn't even have to look down at my left hand because I instantly knew that one of my diamonds was gone. YIKES!!! And we had been hiking through the woods, so I knew there was no way I'd be able to retrace my steps and find it. So sad :(

The prong on the right is completely broken off.

Good news is I have a warrenty with the ring that says the jeweler will replace any diamonds should they fall out! Yay! Bad news is it's going to take 4-5 weeks for it to be completed. Boo. We move in 2, so I had to pay $25 for them to have it shipped down to me when it's done. $25 is better than $1000ish, so i guess I'll take it. My left hand feels naked and awkward without it and none of my other rings fit that finger. Maaaaaaybe I'll just have to go find something pretty to take it's place for a bit ;)

Jasper is 6 months old!

2011-12-06T22:15:00.001-06:00

Woah, that was fast.

At six months old, my {big} little man has two teeth, is sitting up, rolling all over the place to get where he wants, eating pureed sweet potatoes, avocados and bananas, is constantly laughing and grinning, chews on everything, and steals my heart every. single. day.

He weighs over 19 lbs, still sleeps in bed with us, recognizes his daddy, and thinks his brother and sister are hilarious. Did I mention how smitten I am with him?

We all call him Jaspy, although I try not to call him that in public because I know it's weird. Unlike my other kids, he'll smile for anyone - flirting with people in the line at the grocery store and distracting people behind us at church. It's like he knows this is a good life and he's happy to be here.

I know he's my kid and all, but seriously, isn't he just the cutest!?

I Want a Dog

2011-12-02T14:53:00.001-06:00

Our neighbors just got a puppy.

It looks kinda like this. Don't you just want to sqeeeeeeze it!?

It's a little bichon (I think) and it's crazy ADORABLE. And they named her Cubby, after the the Chicago Cubs. And the kids think she's awesome and run/roll around with her in the backyard. AHHH! I can hardly stand it.

We've been thinking about it for years and have always said, "Oh, we'll get a dog someday. Maybe when the kids are older and can help take care of it. We kind of like the freedom of not having one right now. It'd be like having another kid. There would be additional costs like food, vet visits, shots, grooming, boarding, etc. that we just don't need right now. It would chew on the baby's toys." You get the point.

And when we talk to people who have dogs, the overwhelming majority of puppy parents tell us, "DON'T DO IT!" (Like 99.9 %) Then they proceed to tell us how they just get annoying and eat stuff they're not supposed to and bark and jump on people and so on. So why have them? What's the point?

If we do get a dog, I don't want it to be like that. I really want it to be like another little member of our family, not some little piece of crap furball that we have to feed every once in a while.... I'm not trying to criticize anyone, I really just don't understand.

Me with my dogs, Holly & Kasey.

Ten years ago, I used to be an aspiring model. (AKA I think my middle school sister was into photography way back then, too.) No idea what this photo was about, or why on earth I still have it, but it's me and my puppies. I adored them. Granted, I wasn't the one who really had to take care of them, walk them, feed them, pay for their vet bills or let them out, but still. They've been gone for a long time now but they were such a big part of my childhood. I want this for my kids, too!

Who knows when we'll actually get one. But I want it to be soon. Like, shortly after we move I want to start looking. Wade thinks little dogs are stupid. But I say it's kind of like a little 'trial size dog'. (Not that we'd return it if we didn't like it, but we could kind of get our feet wet with the whole canine thing.) We're not getting a mastiff or anything just yet. Although maybe someday....

oh. my. word.

Advice? Thoughts?

Play Kitchen

2011-11-30T12:11:00.001-06:00

It's coming along, slowly but surely!

We bought an old entertainment center from craigslist about 18 months ago and since then I've been collecting stuff to build a kitchen for the kids. In the meantime, it's been more of a flimsy storage unit, simply taking up space. With only weeks before we move, I decided it was getting ridiculous for me to keep hanging on to this thing - we needed to transform it or get it out of here!

I don't have a true before picture (although I might have one that I can dig up from old files) but here's an 'in progress' shot. The missing door on the right will be the oven, above that will be the stove (just picked up some old knobs for free this week!), the top left side will be the microwave, and so on.

The kids are already loving it. I'm just sad it took me so long to actually do it! Better late than never, I suppose :)

Hopefully I'll have a finished kitchen to show you in the next two weeks or so!

Brother+Sister

2011-11-29T11:29:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T13:22:00.001-06:00

10 Things I am Thankful For:

1. chilly days. for they make me appreciate the warm ones.

2. little fights with my husband. for it teaches me grace & helps me grow.

3. my 3 year old peeing his pants. again. for it teaches me patience.

4. my current sore throat. for it gives me an excuse to rest a little.

5. a sink full of dirty dishes. for it is evidence that we had food to eat. there are some who are hungry.

6. my 5 month old keeping me up last night. for it reminds me that i am lucky to have him. some mamas' arms are empty.

7. being lonely lately. for it makes time with true friends even that more special.

8. my ghetto gold minivan. for it means no car payments or debt, which equals peace of mind.

9. annoying politics. for it means i live in a country where we all have the right to vote.

10. You. Yes, YOU. Because if you're reading this blog post, that means that God has put you in my life for a reason. whether that is to annoy, help, frustrate, encourage, or love me - all of that is teaching/has taught me something. old friend, new friend, family, or total stranger. i truly am thankful for you.

[image from here]

Florida FAQ

2011-11-22T22:17:00.000-06:00

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Okay, so as most of you know, our days here in Iowa are numbered. It's for real and it's actually gonna happen. We are so excited! We are also a bit nervous, sad, and hesitant. But did I mention, EXCITED???

This has been in the works for years, but we've been dropping hints about how serious we are to most of you within the past few months. We've been careful about what we've said to who, as to not damage any current work situations. We've also been limited in what we've said because we didn't have all the answers to all the questions that we knew would follow. (Gosh, I'm making it sound like we're part of some secret government operation! We're not. Or are we? ;) )

And of course, as we expected, the questions are coming on strong. I jokingly told Wade that I was going to make a blog post of all the Frequently Asked Questions, print it, and hand it out to everyone who wants to know the scoop.

So maybe you care, maybe you don't, but hopefully this will answer some of your questions!

1. Wow! You guys are moving to Florida? Why?
     We're moving there just because we want to. Because life is short and we want to take this risk. For some reason, we feel like God is calling us to live down in Florida right now. I know it sounds crazy, but we've been thinking about doing this for years and we have every reason in the world to stay here, but that nagging feeling just hasn't gone away and we feel like there must be a reason for that. There are so many other reasons, like the weather and pursuing our dreams of a sports related ministry and teaching swim lessons from my own pool, but basically, we never want to look back someday and wish we would have done this. And if it doesn't work out, we can always move back!

2. Cool, so is Wade relocating for a job?
     Nope. That would be fantastic since he currently loves what he does here, but his company is based out of the Midwest with not really any career opportunities in FL.

3. Okay, so does he at least have a job lined up down there?
That would be another negative! He's submitted a ton of applications and has talked with several people, but so far nothing yet. Yes, ideally we'd like to move down there with him already having a job. Obviously. But our lease is up on December 31 and we are not renewing it, so we either find somewhere to live up here or down there and we've decided to move regardless of a job or not.

4. Are you crazy?!?!
Yes, possibly. And I feel a bit like a hippie when I say that I truly believe that God will provide us with what we need. We have a little bit saved up and we are both able to work, so we acknowledge that it may be hard for a bit if we can't find something right away, but I think we're gonna be okay. :)

5. **stunned silence** (this is when people don't really know what to say to that, thinking to themselves what idiots we are)

6. This has always been your dream and Wade has a great job. It sounds to me like you are dragging him down there.
      I actually had to ask Wade if this one was true. Thankfully he said no, because we sure as heck wouldn't be doing this if he wasn't 100% on board. In fact, there's been times when he's been more about this whole crazy idea than me. (He even changed all his passwords to FLORIDA couple of years ago.) And no, this hasn't always been my dream. Yes, I did live in Florida for a year in college and loved it, but I also love Iowa too. I really do. I love almost everything about this state (especially where we currently live), except for the freaking SNOW and COLD and WIND. And I would always get annoyed at the people who complain about it but do nothing. Well... this is me doing something. And don't worry about Wade. We are completely a 50/50 team. He is absolutely the leader of this family and he definitely wants to do this. Just ask him yourself. He'll tell you exactly what I've told him to tell you. (KIDDING!)

7. So when? where?
     Right after Christmas, to a town North of Tampa, right on the Gulf Coast. Wade found us a 3 BR/2 BA home to rent a few weeks ago while in the Tampa area for a business trip. It looks lovely and it's in a development that has it's own pool! (And best of all, after 10 years of washing dishes, IT HAS A DISH WASHER!!!!)

At this point, people's reactions have been varied. We've seen excitement, sadness, confusion, and disapproval. We know that this won't affect just us and we've definitely taken that into serious consideration. Change is never easy. Wherever we end up, just pray that His will is being done.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:26

Our new home!

We'd greatly appreciate your support. It would mean so much to us! I'll keep you updated on more details throughout the next month. :)

Happy Weekend, Folks :)

2011-11-18T16:46:00.001-06:00

Jasper's Birth Story, The Final Chapter.

2011-11-15T22:28:00.001-06:00

Oh you guys are funny. I didn't intend for it to be such a dramatic story. Like my title? ;)

I left off with Wade holding our tiny babe, observing helplessly the events happening in front of him. I was scared and confused as well. I remember being curled up on the bed, uncontrollably shaking from wet and in pain, when I look to my right and saw my midwife, Anne, who had broken my water at the clinic earlier that morning. She had only stopped by to chat and meet the baby after work, but she had gotten there just in time. The nurses had already called Kim and she was on her way, but Anne got to work trying to help.

While in the bathtub, I was given a shot of Pitocin in my leg to get my uterus to clamp down. A shot that I had originally didn't want. Big mistake. Should've taken the Pitocin! Anne told me she was worried that a fragment of the placenta may have been left behind, and my body wasn't reacting well to that - clotting and trying to expel it? I don't know. What I do know, is she told me she needed to "go in and get it." Yeeeeah.

I'll remind you, I didn't have any pain medication at this point. And I'm not sure why I didn't get any before she went in. Maybe it would've taken too long for to go into effect? I don't know, but IT. WAS. AWFUL. For about 60 seconds, I screamed, cried, and squeezed so hard my nails dug into those poor nurses hands. (Okay, Wade just informed me it was only about 10 seconds. It felt like 10 minutes.) Folks, it was probably worse than childbirth. She got out another softball sized clot. They told me later that she was in almost up to her elbow - just diggin' around in there. (I am SO SORRY for the amount of detail!!!)

I still wasn't really feeling any better. By now, Kim had gotten there as fast as she could. She talked with Anne quietly in the corner. I overheard Kim ask, "Did you use a sterile gauze? No? Just a glove? Gee, I really think we need to use gauze to really go over the entire surface to make sure we get it. Let's also give her a shot of Methergine" [Methergine provides sustained uterine contractions rather than the more intermittent contractions of Pitocin, hence an immediate, strong response. Similar to the final transition stage in labor. Given to prevent or stop postpartum hemorrhage. source] Basically a dose of PAIN and some more PAIN.

Yup, Kim had to repeat what Anne had just done. I remember crying, begging her to stop, yet knowing she had to do this. The Methergine had also kicked in and was excruciating. Before I knew it, a nurse was poking me for an IV, I had an oxygen mask over my face, and another nurse was giving me a shot of Demerol (similar to morphine). I had a blood pressure cuff on my arm and some heart rate thing on my finger. I felt exhausted and upset since everything on me was exactly what I didn't want.

The contractions slowly faded away and I felt embarrassed by what had all just happened. The room calmed down and I was able to relax a little. It was over about as quickly as it had all happened. I talked with Kim and Anne before they left and found out that it's more likely to happen with larger babies - and this little guy was 10 lbs.

I ditched as much crap on me as I could and Wade helped me get some clothes on. By now, Jasper was starting to get fussy. I heard the nurses trying to decide what to do, figuring I probably wasn't feeling up to feeding him right now. I piped up, and said confidently, "I'm fine. I can take him." All I wanted, more than anything, was to nurse and cuddle my new son - and for the next few hours, I did exactly that.

I'm so thankful for great midwives who helped me get through all parts of pregnancy, labor, delivery, and all the not-so-fun stuff after. I'm thankful for my husband for being by my side through all of it. And most of all, I'm thankful for my God, who blessed me with a healthy, baby boy and protected me from a situation that could have been much worse!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-11T00:16:00.001-06:00

This year the kids dressed up as Jake and Izzy from their favorite television show, Jake and the Neverland Pirates. And Jasper (who looks enormous, by the way) is a puppy, a costume I found and put on him 5 minutes before we left!

Jasper's Birth Story, Part Two

2011-11-08T11:16:00.000-06:00

We made it back to the van where I quickly called Wade, who was at work, to tell him what was going on. We decided to meet back at our house, drop the kids off with Mary (who had miraculously just gotten into town, without a clue as to what was going on) and assess the situation. We got home around 11:30ish and I was hurtin'. I ate little McDonalds, and we were only home for about 15 minutes until we decided we'd better head back to the hospital.

Once we got checked in and got "comfortable" I was getting pretty uncomfortable pretty fast. I'll probably never do a home birth, but I was highly considering it during my labor with Jasper. As I was working through contractions, I was flooded with annoying questions from a dozen or so nurses. (All just doing their job, I know, but asking me what my best learning style is during the middle of an intense contraction just about sent me over the edge)

I labored for a couple hours and it was TOUGH. I walk around the room, listened to Pandora, squatted on the toilet, sat on the birthing ball, talked with Wade and my midwife and I don't even remember what else I did to get through it. Kim had a student with her that day who was observing and at one point she said to me, "Wow, I'm really enjoying this - this is so neat!" I wanted to punch her, and I'm pretty sure I smiled and told her I was so glad this was entertaining her. Mean, I know. I'm sorry Student Lady! It was towards the end and I had little patience or any tolerance left for anything.

I hate labor, but it's such an empowering feeling to do it without pain medication. It puts all other physical pain in my life into perspective and it blows my mind every time of what my body's capable of - it's so intense that you think you can't stand one more ounce of agony and you're ready to give up. And yet, you don't (or pretty much can't) just throw in the towel. You keep on, keeping on. And it's AWFUL. and PAINFUL. and somehow beautiful all at the same time. It really is amazing. I've learned to not fight the surges of pain, but to be calm and relax through them. I don't yell, scream or moan. I basically just shut up and get through it. And seriously, the gift that God gives you at the end of it is so incredible and so worth it that I would go through it a hundred more times.

Pushing took about 15 minutes and Wade held my left hand the whole time. With Beckett, he was able to guide him out/catch him (okay, I don't really know what he actually did) but with this time, he wasn't able to do it. :) He he he. Kim told him to come on over, it was time for him to help and I remember, out of the corner of my eye, seeing him with big eyes, shaking his head no and telling her, "That's okay, I'll just stay up here with Liz."

And after that last push (one of the weirdest sensations EVER), my big little man, Jasper Bentley, was born. I don't even know what time it was. Maybe 4ish? He was 22 in long and 10 lbs exactly. Perfect, chubby, adorable, and ours. There's no special reason for the name Jasper, it was just one that Wade was enamored with (I was pushing for Cullen or Ryder). Bentley, again just because we liked it, but going with the tradition of all the boys having a LEE sound in their middle name - after Wade Lee.

This is where the excitement happened: We enjoyed that brief time with just the 3 of us after he was born. With Beckett, I passed out after I took a hot bath so I knew I should take my time this time. When I felt up to it, I got up to take a bath and rinse off. While in the tub, my stomach started cramping up and I felt urges to push again. I passed a couple of softball sized blood clots and the nurses were starting to freak out. The water was bright red and I was starting to go downhill fast. I was still in a lot of pain and began to get light headed and short of breath. Wade was quickly by my side and knew that things weren't good. Before I knew it, they were getting me out of the tub and back to the bed. I don't really remember how that happened as I was only half conscience. I couldn't breath, was wet, naked and in pain. As nurses were rushing around me trying to figure out what was wrong, Wade sat helplessly in the corner of the room, holding our son, tears in his eyes, not knowing what was happening.

Okay, above mentioned child is awake, so looks like there will be a part three. :)

Combine Ride

2011-10-28T20:55:00.001-05:00

Having a Daddy who works in the agriculture field has its perks. Yes, this time of year means we don't see him as much, but it also means he can hook the kids up with a ride on a combine harvesting corn! It was a gorgeous afternoon and they had fun.

Gotta love Fall in Iowa :)

PS that's pirate Beckett in the picture . :)

Jasper's Birth Story, Part One

2011-10-26T14:23:00.000-05:00

Mr. Jasper is almost 5 months old now, almost sitting up and cutting his first tooth. Better late than never I guess! Here we go...

(Since it's so long, I've divided it up into two posts, and I've included lots of boring details, but it's mostly for me to remember anyway. :) )

This little guy's pregnancy was uneventful and boring (Thank you, Jesus!) but this being the third time around, I knew what to anticipate for labor and delivery so I felt pretty prepared for for his birth. With Reese I wanted to go all natural, but ended up having pitocin and an epidural. With Beckett, I was able to deliver naturally but my midwife broke my water when I was dialated to about 9 cm, about 1-2 hours before he was actually born. (Reese's was broken about 12 hours before birth and at 4 cm.) Since I knew that the contractions greatly increased in intensity once the bag was broken, I was curious to see what would happen if everything was just left alone. Also, with both kids I had my membranes stripped (when the doctor or midwife runs their finger around the cervix several times to get those labor horomones going - can help labor progress or get started.) And again, this time I wanted to see what my body would do if everything was just left alone. (Hint: This is called foreshadowing. :) )

Fast forward to the end of May. Jasper was due on May 30, but my other kids had gone past their due dates so I had anticipated a June baby. I had been feeling random contractions all week, but nothing consistant. On Tuesday, June 31, our day was normal but after supper I was having contractions every 12 minutes or so. They were pretty mild and the kids were a good distraction so I was doing okay. They kept coming and coming, getting a little stronger, and I thought, wow I might be having a baby tonight! But I told Wade not to make any phone calls yet. Lo and behold, just like last time, I went to bed and woke up with - nothing. No contractions. Not a thing. :( Annoyed, I thought well, I might as well get on with my day. Wednesdays are the day that we usually go to storytime at the library, so I planned on heading over there at 10:30.

Around 9:00, my mother-in-law, Mary, had randomly sent me a text saying she had the day off and wondering if she could come down and hang out. Besides storytime, I didn't have much on the agenda for the day, so I told her that would be just fine. Maybe my contractions would kick in again and she could watch the kids for a bit.

The contraction thing was still bugging me though. I wanted to know if last night's little tease had done anything! I'd heard that the third baby can come faster, and I didn't go to the doctor until I was dialated 9 cm with Beckett, so I was worried that I wouldn't have that much time when it did actually start to happen. I reeeeeeeaaaally didn't want to spend most of my labor at the hospital, so I was hesitant to even go near that place, but my midwife told me I could always come in to get checked and then go back home. So I called and got an appointment for 10:00. (Still no contractions, mind you.) I figured I'd find out how many centimeters I was dialated and quickly be out the door on my way to the library. So I packed up the kids, and off we went.

Can I just say here, that I love my midwives. I've got two - Kim and Anne. Kim has helped deliver all three of my kids. This was my first year with Anne, but she's the kind of person I would want to be friends with. That morning I saw Anne and she knew what I wanted and what I didn't want. I had explained how I'd had contractions, but they'd stopped. She checked me and informed me that I was dialated to a 5-6 cm. Not bad, but not overly exciting. Seeing that I was disappointed that the number wasn't higher she reluctantly offered to strip my membranes. I told her I didn't know, I really wanted to get this train a-movin', but I kind of wanted to try it without. I asked her what she thought. She told me if my body wasn't ready, it wouldn't respond to it, and only if I wanted, she could go around just once or twice, very softly. It was getting awkward since her hand was still up in there, so I just said, whatever- just do it.

I felt her go one time around and then she froze and said I think I just broke your water. WHAT?!?! I immediately regretted even coming in, because the two things I didn't want done, just happened. Anne felt so bad, and I reassured her it was fine. Not ideal, but everything was going to be fine. I was going to have a baby soon!!!! So I'm laying on the exam table, legs up, amniotic fluid everywhere on the floor as we game plan about what to do next. I wasn't even having contractions so I didn't want to go to the hospital, but I knew I would soon, so should I go home? I had known both sides and long labor at the hospital = uncomfortable and not good. While we were discussing, I remembered I had a 4 year old and 2 year old in that tiny room with us and they were getting antsy. The next thing I knew, Beckett was up off his chair and hopping around with his shirt off. We needed to get outta there fast. So she gave me her cell phone number and told me to call her in an hour to give her an update. I rolled up a towel between my legs and before I knew it, our trip to the library that morning was officially cancelled!

We made it back to the van where I quickly called Wade, who was at work, to tell him what was going on. We decided to meet back at our house, drop the kids off with Mary (who had miraculously just gotten into town, without a clue as to what was going on) and assess the situation. We got home around 11:30ish and I was hurtin'. I ate little McDonalds, and we were only home for about 15 minutes until we decided we'd better head back to the hospital!

(to be continued) ;)

My Little Soccer Star

2011-10-19T15:34:00.000-05:00

This year Reese chose soccer (plus church night & swim lessons) over dance. She participated in a VBS soccer camp this summer and loved it so she wanted to try it again this fall. She did great!

Well, hey there.

2011-10-18T11:51:00.000-05:00

*sigh*

It's been awhile! So many stories, pictures, and random thoughts that I've been meaning to catch up on. Needless to say, I've been just a little busier since Jasper has arrived. (His nickname is Jaspy and I hate it. But for some reason, can't stop calling him that. It's starting to stick. Poor Becky thought he had it bad...) Not busier in a bad way, but busier as in baby cuddling, supper making, swim lesson teaching, soccer watching, finger painting, baby feeding, coffee drinking, walk taking, diaper changing, book reading, BABY HOLDING, and so on. I love it.

I feel as if I have my hands full, but I'm currently reading a book I randomly picked up at the library called The Sane Mom's Guide to Raising a Big Family and this lady has like TEN kids. Her youngest is 3 but obviously she found time to write a freaking book, while I struggle to get something to eat beside McDonald's for supper. Other blogging moms share how they make their own deoderant and such. Basically, I haven't felt very productive. And this blog goes on the list of "Things I want to get done, but sleep is more important" (it's a long list...).

But updates. Soon. For sure. You can count on it.

Hopefully.

First Lost Tooth

2011-08-27T23:14:00.000-05:00

Can you see it people?!?!

The huge, gaping hole in her mouth?!?!

What a huge step! We noticed that it was loose a few weeks ago, and I freaked out. One, because the new tooth was already starting to come in, behind it. And two, she seemed too young. I thought that was a first grade thing. I was so not ready to have a kid who was losing teeth.

She was brushing her teeth rather vigorously tonight before bed, when all of the sudden she gasped and froze. I looked over at her and saw a mouth full of blood that was starting to drip down the side of her face. I immediately knew what happened and grabbed the tooth that was sitting on her lower lip and called for Wade since I was holding Jasper. She immediately started crying, confused why there was blood, saying it hurt. Once she was calmed down, she got all quiet and proud.

Such a big girl :)

Not an easy shot to get...

2011-08-23T17:41:00.002-05:00

I just snapped this picture on my phone a minute ago to capture us today, exactly as we are at ages 27, 5, 2 and 2 months.

Right now:

We're watching a Handy Manny movie. The kids think it's hilarious. We've probably watched enough cartoons today, but when they asked if they could watch it this afternoon, I said okay just so I could hear them giggle over and over. PS, why aren't Manny & Kelly a couple? They'd be so cute together. I'm seriously waiting for the episode where they declare their love for one another. Just sayin'.

Sipping on a cup of Chocolate Caramel Mudslide coffee from my fabulous mother-in-law. Sooo good!

Trying to decide what to get for supper. Daddy won't be home until after the kids go to bed so I'm thinking a walk to Subway is in order!

Swimming

2011-08-19T16:08:00.002-05:00

Today is our last day at the pool for the season! I love that my kids, at 2 & 5, are totally okay in the water by themselves now. I didn't even wear my suit today. Jasper and I are just chillin' in the shade while I write this blog post. I'm pretty sure it will NOT be like this next year!

Fun with Shaving Cream

2011-08-16T13:26:00.002-05:00

Shaving cream + food coloring = quick and easy activity with the kids! This was our "after lunch, before quiet time" activity today :)

I always keep a cheap can of shaving cream on hand for when the kids are bored and I need something to keep them busy for a bit. It's a bit messy, yes, but I've found that using a spatula or a rubber scraper cleans it up super fast. Then outside we go to hose them off!

Something to think about...

2011-08-15T14:15:00.000-05:00

Smiley Baby

2011-08-11T09:55:00.002-05:00

Jasper has been my smiley-est baby so far. We're just having a lazy morning here, and cuddling with this mini dude is one of my favorite things to do!

I'm Pretty Much A Rockstar Mom/Wife

2011-08-02T15:10:00.000-05:00

For example:

This afternoon I made homemade honey dinner rolls for supper because I know my husband will love them.

On my counter top I have a bouquet of beautiful yellow, pink and white flowers that picked from the roadside near our house.

We were out of baby wipes on Sunday, so I made my own using paper towels, soap and baby oil.

I am teaching Reese how to add numbers and she's catching on pretty quickly!

I love sharing our fun stories, activities, recipes, craft ideas on this blog, but what I don't share is:

Sometimes I'm too tired to get up when the kids wake up in the morning, so I let them go to the living room and watch cartoons for a bit. Yesterday, when I came out, they were watching MTV. More specifically, Jersey Shore. Not kidding.

I hate cleaning my kitchen and now there is an ant invasion. Crap.

I haven't been very nice to Wade the past couple of days because sometimes I get jealous that he goes on fun trips for work, eats out for lunch most days, and gets to talk to adults.

Don't be fooled. This blog is a fun place to show off my family and pretend I'm kind of a big deal, but in reality I'm such a work in progress, continuously asking God for grace in the places that I fall short.

Happy Friday!

2011-07-28T22:40:00.000-05:00

Rainbow Cupcakes

2011-07-26T21:48:00.002-05:00

I made these rainbow cupcakes this weekend for our family reunion and they were a big hit. The last time I made these was at Wade's birthday party last year. I think they are so much fun and so stinkin' cute! They are not too tough to make, they just take a bit more time than your average cupcake.

The directions are simple: Take a box of white cake mix and mix according to directions. Separate the batter equally among six small bowls. Add drops of food coloring to each bowl. (I use AmeriColor's soft gel paste that I found at Hobby Lobby. You don't have to use very much to get bright, vivid colors!) When I first saw this a long time ago, the layers were all equally stacked and layered, but that seems impossible to achieve so I just plop a blob (ha, that sounded funny) of each color in each muffin cup. It's very forgiving- if you get more of one color, no big deal, it'll still look cool. Fill half full and bake as directed. Yes, it's a little time consuming, but so worth it!

I top them with a buttercream frosting. Once I discovered how fabulous homemade frosting is, I'll never buy store bought again!

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 c butter

1/2 c shortening

2 tsp vanilla (or any extract)

1/8 tsp salt

5 c powdered sugar

1/4 c whole milk

Beat together butter, shortening, vanilla, salt until creamy. Gradually add sugar and milk and beat until smooth.

**Nicole McIntosh, thought of you when I made these! I know you appreciate yummy food and pretty things, and these are both. :) **

He's home!!!

2011-07-23T16:12:00.002-05:00

Letters on Breastfeeding

2011-07-22T22:22:00.001-05:00

Dear Current Nursing Mamas,

Yay for your commitment to breastfeed your child! As you know, breast milk is sooo great for that baby. And you don't need me to tell you that its not just that milk that's so awesome, it's that relationship and bond that just you and your baby have. You have exactly what that baby wants and needs at any given time of the day- to be snuggled close to you all warm and cozy while getting a little snack or a big meal. I didn't realize this with my first kid. It's really so simple. If your baby's crying or fussy, NURSE HER! With Reese I totally didn't get this. When she'd scream at me, I'd be so confused about what my baby wanted. I had fed her 20 minutes ago, she had a clean diaper, she wasn't too hot/cold, I'd pick her up and bounce her. I was worn out (and stressed out) from guessing what the heck she wanted from me. It wasn't until Beckett that I learned to just nurse him as often as he wanted, for as long as he wanted and both of us were much happier.

I get so sad watching some of you new mamas struggle to get your baby to quiet down, embarrassed because people are staring at you like, "Can't you make him stop!?" Or your at home by yourself, frustrated, not knowing what else to try to make your baby sleep or be happy. I know it doesn't work in every circumstance, but try it- wherever you are, just feed her.

It doesn't matter if your at church, at a restaurant, in a movie theater, or in your friend's living room. If your baby is freaking out, try nursing him. Don't worry about what people think. Get over being uncomfortable. It will be awkward and nerve wracking at first, but you will get better at it and therefore gain confidence. Start by practicing at home, then try it outside in your backyard. Then try it when your with a close friend and go from there.

Let's teach people that nursing your baby is something totally normal that shouldn't have to be hidden. Sure, cover yourself up, but stop acting like it's a huge secret how we feed our babies. It took me a long time to get here, but it's made breastfeeding so much more enjoyable when I know that I can go just about anywhere and not worry about if my baby is going to "act up". Let's stop sequestering ourselves to public restrooms for 30 minutes at a time and get out there and enjoy the activities and people you're with. The more of us who do it, the more acceptable it will be!

                                                                                            With love,
                                                                                                            Liz

Dear Everyone Else,

Women have breasts. (I'm guessing you already knew this, but I'll keep going...) Approximately 50% of the human population have them and their main purpose is feeding their offspring. *gasp!* There, I said it. Now it doesn't have to be a big secret anymore! And now that you know this fact, can we all just be cool when a mom nurses in front of you?

I truly don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, I just want to feed my baby while still feeling included. It totally stinks to have to go sit in a separate room by myself (or even worse, a bathroom-yuck) while everyone else is hanging out and having fun. As the saying goes, you don't eat your meals where people use the restroom, right?

You can still look me in the eye and talk to me while I'm nursing, you don't have to get all weird. That just makes me feel guilty, like I'm doing something I shouldn't be. Seriously, it's really not that big of deal! No one has ever said anything to me to make me feel bad, but for some reason, our culture has made it seem as if that's not something that's done in public. Well, guess what. Just because I'm a mom doesn't mean I want to stay confined to my house all day in case my child wakes up and wants to eat. So please, please don't make a big deal out of it. Be understanding and respectful. Don't gossip about it afterwards. And most of all, support that breastfeeding mama that you know. It's so crucial for the health and well-being of that babe which, really, is the most important thing of all!

                                                                                             Yours truly,
                                                                                                               Liz :)

A Reese Update

2011-07-21T02:32:00.000-05:00

Self Portraits :)

Oh, Reese. Sweet, sweet, five year old Reese.
What a journey this has been. It seems impossible that my daughter will be in kindergarten this fall. She is my right hand girl. Stealer of my camera. Often torn between going golfing with Dad or baking something yummy with Mom-she loves to doing both. Is always begging for sips of my iced coffee. Loves her brothers so much. Wants to hold the littlest one constantly and bosses the bigger one around. Actually...she's bossy, yes, but she helps me out a ton. She is such a great kid.

A few more facts:
She wants to grow her bangs out, so we're in that awkward in between stage.
She's really into Barbies right now. Dora and Princesses were so last year.
She can kinda swim and almost read.
Her favorite color is pink (crazy, right?) and her favorite food is lasagna.
She can count to 110.
She says the best prayers. So thoughtful and sweet.
She loves taking pictures.
Her mommy loves her more than she could possibly understand.

And just for fun, here's a short video of her dancing. We were just playing out in the yard one day, listening to music on my phone and she wanted me to record her dancing so she could watch it. It was a few days before her birthday and all I could think of was, "Oh, I wish she could just stay 4 forever."

My loves.

2011-07-15T23:34:00.000-05:00

Thank you, little people, for the chance to be your mommy.

Grilled Pizza

2011-07-11T10:21:00.000-05:00

Last night for supper, we grilled pizzas! I found this recipe (that whole site is amazing btw) and was excited to try it. We had a pretty good no-yeast pizza dough recipe, but I made her pizza dough last night and I'm not sure if I'll ever go back, especially since it makes 2 portions and I can freeze one for later.

They turned out to fabulous, cute, and super delicious! I loved the feta and fresh basil on them. I can't wait to make them again.

And here's Beckett standing by our little cherry tomato plant. We picked our first ripe one last night. I'm sad we don't have our little garden like we did last year. Like, reeeaally sad. :( I loved tending to it and picking all those fresh vegetables, but at least we'll have our favorite, cherry tomatoes, to snack on all summer.

A Jasper Update

2011-07-09T23:35:00.000-05:00

Like I said last week, Jasper is now one month old. I'll try to keep my remarks about "how fast it's going!" to a minimum. He's grown a bunch and is already starting to look different.

I'm already cah-razy about this kid. He seems to fit into our family flawlessly and he acts like he's been around for much longer than a month. He's gone golfing with us, to the pool, church, a movie, parks, family gatherings, a parade, picnics, playdates, and more. We definitely haven't slowed down because of our couple week old, newest member of the family. Having a 5 and 2 year old hasn't left me with much of a choice!

The one thing that has helped me keep moving is my moby-like wrap from loveyduds. I wear it almost everyday, whether while making supper or walking through a field of strawberries. He loves it, I love it, and people comment on it just about everywhere we go. I can wear it for hours at a time and he just sleeeeps and sleeeeeps.

The number one question that everyone asks is if he is sleeping well at night. And yes, he's doing great. We love, love, looove having him sleep in bed with us. Makes things so much easier and we are all happy campers who are sleeping well! (For those wondering how we make that work, we have a big king size bed, and it goes Wade next to the wall, then me, then Jasper, then the other half of the bed. We only sleep with a sheet in the summer, no comforter. Having 3 kids has trained me to be somewhat of a light sleeper and I feel totally comfortable with him so close. Wade also approves, which is important because if he wasn't on board, we wouldn't do it. I could go on, so just ask if you want to know more)

He started to smile this past week which has been super fun. The big kids love trying to make him grin, which probably annoys the heck out of him since they are all up in his face all the time.

He's eating well, pooping well, sleeping well, spitting up a lot, and is overall doing fabulous. Man, I adore this little person and I'm going to try and enjoy every minute of him being this little!

Fail.

2011-07-07T11:22:00.001-05:00

Well, that was a big, fat FAIL of a challenge! I knew I wouldn't be able to do it as soon as I hit 'publish' but I still wanted to try. At first I was annoyed and dissapointed that I didn't complete my little self-challenge, but I'm over it. I have kids ages 5, 2 and 1 month old- I'm cutting myself some slack. But I'm still going to try to blog as much as I can during the month of July just so I can catch up a bit. It's been tough with Jasper nursing all the time. Makes it hard to type! (Actually, I'm currently pecking out this post with one hand, at the kitchen table while the kids do play-doh and J is sleeping in my lap!)

Last week was crazy busy, but this week I've intentionally slowed down so we could enjoy just playing. Reese has even gotten into the habit of asking me what we're doing each day and where we're going, as if I'm her event planner, which doesn't feel that far from the truth! (not to mention her personal chef, chauffeur, teacher, etc.)

Some recent pictures of what we've been up to in June:

Daddy and the boys (I love saying that!)

New buzz cut, but he calls it his Woody & Buzz cut ;)

Grandpa and the big kids on the tractor, while we were in town for Grandma Alice's 90th birthday party

Brothers, can't say they look so much alike here

A gorgeous day out at the strawberry farm

A self-portrait. I have a million of these on my camera. Love those freckles.

Homemade popcicles- is my tongue red?!

Strawberry Rocketships- so cool! Thanks Sara!! :)

Bubble guns

Thanks other Sarah!!!!!

2011-07-02T22:38:00.000-05:00

I got nothing for tonight. But I'm determined not to fail on my one month blogging streak on DAY 2!!

We had a fantastic day with both sets of grandparents. These are three pretty lucky kids. I hope they realize someday how blessed they are to have such caring, wonderful grandparents!

Wade and I are watchin this show right now. Have you seen it? It's actually really cool!!

It's JULY!

2011-07-01T15:32:00.000-05:00

Time just seems to be racing past me and I can hardly keep up. We have stayed quite busy this month and it bugs me that I haven't documented any of it. Which I suppose is fine, I guess that just means we've been busy LIVING our lives! But there's been so many fun, happy memories that I want to somehow capture this time right now and remember it forever.

So, just for fun and because I like challenges, I'm going to try and post something on the blog every day for the month of July! I've got so much going on in my brain right now that it will be good to get it all out.

Today: Jasper is ONE MONTH OLD and Reese is FIVE YEARS OLD!!!!! Yay! So fun. This morning we went to a bead shop with her best friend, Talia. They each made a necklace and then made matching 'twin' bracelets. After that we had lunch at McDonald's complete with ice cream cones. Five. Wow. And Jasper? I don't even wanna go there. Someone slow this down!!!

I have a baby sleeping in my lap, so adding pictures today seems to hard, but I at least wanted to jump on here and say hello! :)

He's here!

2011-06-06T15:27:00.000-05:00

Jasper Bentley

10 lbs and 22'' long

June 1, 2011

4:32pm

Life is good.

(**Warning, lots of pictures of my kids ahead!!**)

My oldest holding my youngest.

My three kiddos. Still not used to saying that!

The middle child and his dump truck. Pausing only half a second to snap this picture.

Another one. Man, B's face just makes me giggle and melt all at the same time.

Mr. Chunky Man on day 4 of life. Chillin' w/ his mama while his brother and sister go golfing with Dad.

The first day home from the hospital. She's such a proud big sister and wants to hold him ALL. THE. TIME! (Sidenote- she calls him Baby Lincoln, because that was her top choice for names. We told her she could call him whatever she wanted, but his real name is Jasper. I think it's slowly growing on her.)

Overall, things have been going so well! I'm feeling better and better each day. I'll try to get his birth story typed out soon while all those memories are still fresh in my mind. His labor and delivery went very well and the only rough patch was afterwards when they had to go back in. But more on that later ;)

(I must say I'm sad that the only pictures I have are the ones I took myself. Wade took a couple of me and the kids, but I don't have any of him. I so missed my sister being there to document everything. I highly recommend having someone take pictures for you!!)

Wade and the kids just ran to the store...

2011-05-29T16:03:00.000-05:00

{found here}

Right now I am:

sitting in a quiet house hearing nothing but the clock tick, birds chirping outside, and the happy sounds of a graduation party happening next door.
loving anything and everything turquoise, so this site that I just found made me super happy
eating Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries (healthy!) & chocolate graham crackers (not so much)
trying to decide if the ice cream truck I just heard slowly cruise by our house (cheesey music and all) is cute and nostalgic or a little bit creepy.
comfortable & content :)

Last Day of Preschool

2011-05-26T16:50:00.001-05:00

I can't believe this school year is already over! I feel like I was just writing her First Day of Preschool post back in August. Last night, we had Reese's closing program at Immanuel where she sang songs and they acted out The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Her teachers, Mrs. Limback and Mrs. Grim were fantastic! We've been so blessed that they could be in our lives this year. They did so many fun things and their Christian influence has had such an effect on our family- the way we pray, how we interact, challenge our kids, etc. I can only pray that I will continue to do as good of a job of teaching Reese about Jesus as they did.

(So funny, Reese wore the same skirt on the first and last day of school! HA!)

Pictures...

2011-05-22T15:02:00.002-05:00

Reese and her preschool friend, Sophie, on Bike Day. (and B chillin' in the back!) On Friday, they practiced bike saftety and rode around the parking lot. So cute :)

Just had lunch with my sweet friend, Kolby, and her bf Jake. This picture was from 4 years ago after a fun night out in Minneapolis. (The first time she lived there!)

Pulled this off of facebook today. My little brother/American soldier/JCrew model.

Found this on Pinterest last night. Loove the color combination of gray, yellow and blue!

(Haven't been to Pinterest yet? GO. NOW.)

Woooah, Baby!

2011-05-16T21:13:00.000-05:00

It's late, but I wanted to update with a couple belly pics and a little video where I caught this little wiggle worm playing around in there.

36ish weeks. I think.

At 38 weeks, it's strange to think that this pregnancy is almost over and in a few weeks I'll have a baby in my arms and not my belly. For some reason, I have been totally appreciating this baby and pregnancy even more than the other two. I know that I have been sooo incredibly blessed with 2 sweet children and (so far) 3 great pregnancies, and it's not something I take lightly. I thank God all day for what He's given me. Surely I don't deserve all of this happiness.

38 weeks, taken tonight. Gotta love that my shirt doesn't even come close to covering my whole belly!

And here is the sweet little monkey. When watching this video, keep in mind that, beside breathing, I'm really not moving, that is alllll baby. It even amazes me to watch it!

Getting Settled In!

2011-05-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

We've been in our new place now for one week! Slowly but surely things are finding their way from boxes to where they belong. Pictures are being hung on the walls, laundry is getting washed and put away, and I even made cookies today! Our carpets got cleaned this morning, so I finally feel a little better about walking around without my shoes on. It's been an adjustment getting used to not having a garage and other minor things. I've been trying to shift my thinking from how outdated and poorly taken care of this place is to realizing how incredibly blessed we really are.

I wish I had pictures to show you, but I have no idea where the cable is to transfer them over. I've been too preoccupied to look for it because I've been catching up on all the cable shows that we've been missing out on for the past 3 years! HGTV?!?! I could watch it all. day. long.

Wade's been busy at work, yay for rain today so he could come home early!

Reese has less than two weeks of school left and today they went on a field trip to a farm.

Beckett has two scraped knees so you know it must be getting nicer out. Last weekend Wade's mom sent down some little cans of strawberry pop and this week I've been using them as bribes to get him to stay in his bed during naptime. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Baby is doing well. 2 weeks left! I've been super tired lately but otherwise feeling good and sleeping well. Again, so blessed. :)

Okay, pictures sooooon, I promise!

One Big Long Paragraph & No Pictures

2011-05-02T14:26:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted. Yikes! I think I've been overwhelmed and in denial that we will be moving out of this house on Friday, which is only F-O-U-R days away!!!!! I have had countless posts made up and ready to type out in the back of my head, but instead I've found something else more passive to do instead. I've been doing just about everything else besides packing. Part of me feels like we're just going on a little trip and I'll be able to pack and pull it all together the night before or something! Uhhh, not so much. Either way, a few of the things we've been up to: decorating Easter eggs w/ crayons, making and delivering May Day baskets (Reese got the biggest kick out of ringing someone's doorbell then running away!!!), hanging out w/ family for Easter, birthday parties w/ friends, both of the kids got a hair cut (Reese just got her bangs cut. She hates them. Because apparently she's a 16 year old trapped in a 4 year old's body. Totally not cool, Mom.) As for me, I've been trudging along w/ this baby in my belly. 36 week appointment went well this morning and I measured at 37 and a half weeks, which means this could be another biiiig baby. Awesome. To help him understand, the other day I tried telling Wade to imagine he had swallowed a live squirrel and it was trying figure out how to get out of his belly. That's what it feels like. Or it did. Now it feels more like a baby elephant. Picnics at the park even though it's still kind of cold and windy out, lots of trips to Goodwill, lots of trips to the bathroom, hosting friends for Bible Study, soccer practice at the Y, April was pretty cold and rainy, so Wade's been able to be home a bunch, which is great. May is starting out sunny and warmer, not so great. Especially when now I need him home to pack, move, basically do everything so I can lay on the couch and finish cooking a baby. kidding. a little. but either way, not gonna happen. We've been bickering a lot lately and I think it's because of the unspoken pressures of moving/all that goes with it + a hormonal, tired pregnant mama + Spring planting season + excitement/anxiety over moving out of a house & neighborhood that we love.

There. Maybe I'll post some pictures soon, or maybe I won't, but at least the blog has been updated in the most unorganized way. But at least I can cross it off my list.

Aaaaaaaand I just successfully spent another hour NOT packing. :)

Round Two

2011-04-03T22:15:00.000-05:00

*sigh*

I was so excited for warmer weather to come this way, foolishly thinking that the cold weather would take all those yucky germs with it.

So yeah. Not so much.

Wade has been sick for the past 4 days with the flu- the fever, achy, chills, dry cough, loss of appetite kind. This means that this 8 month pregnant mama's been on her own for feeding the kiddos, putting them to bed, doing the dishes, etc. so that Daddy can rest. I didn't realize how much I relied on him for help. Yikes. So I've been exausted, unmotivated, uncomfortable, and grumpy this week. Confession: today I finally washed the dishes from Tuesday's night supper. Gross.

And then today, Miss Reese complained that her head hurt when she coughed. Wade and I just looked at each other, knowing exactly what that meant. Throughout the day you could tell she just wasn't feeling herself and we put her to bed tonight with a fever. Beckett hasn't gotten it yet, but he woke up this morning with his nose running like a faucet. Pretty typical for him, but still not fun.

We've been trying something new called Oscillococcinum. Have you guys heard of this? It's supposed to work wonders if you take it at the onset of flu symptoms.

Wade took it on day 3 of his symptoms, so he didn't find it as effective, but I'm hoping it'll kick in for Reese before it's the full blown awful yucky flu. :(

I also made chicken noodle soup tonight and it's one of our favorites. It's hearty and makes a ton so I usually have some for leftovers for the rest of the week PLUS some to freeze for supper on a different night. We use a buttery garlic rotisserie chicken that we grab at the store to make it easier (not to mention SO GOOD!) So in case your interested:

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 tbsp butter
1 c. onion, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
2 c. carrots, sliced (I always use baby carrots to keep it simple)
2 cloves garlic
4 (15 oz) cans chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can vegetable broth
1 (15 oz) can cream of chicken
1 1/2 cup wide egg noodles (half a bag)
1 tsp each of basil, oregano, thyme

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded or chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion, celery, carrots, garlic in butter until just tender, abt 5 min. Pour in broths and remaining ingredients. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 min.

In the meantime, we'll try to stay far, faaaar away from everyone and hopefully not spread this around to anyone else! As for me, I've got myself some PB m&ms and am determined to make this next week better than the last. I've got soooo much to do and I cannot afford to get sick (again!) on top of being preggo, so I'm crossing my fingers and toes hoping this one skips me!

A Baby Update

2011-03-25T15:44:00.000-05:00

I am 30 weeks into this pregnancy and I feel like I should document at least a little bit this little one's beginning, since this one is already becoming "the third child" in regards to how much I've written down/pictures I've taken. With R&B I took a profile picture of my belly every month or so to be able to look back at how much I grew. With this baby, I think I've taken oh...about TWO. With R&B I knew exactly how many weeks along I was at any given time. This one.... not so much. With R&B, I talked about it all the time on the blog or Facebook. This time has just felt different, even from the very beginning.

That being said, we are still so very excited and I feel like these last two months are going to go so slowly. A name has been picked (I think...) but that's all we've really done in preperation for this little one's arrival.

As for me, I've been feeling really good. My back hurts (only on my lower, left side) when I lay down, but that's about it for pain. My clothes are getting too tight and I've been sleeping well and don't really have any cravings. And my, is this child is a WIGGLY one!

Reese and Beckett are excited too. More Reese, than Beckett, but I know he'll be a good big brother. He'll be almost a year older than Reese was when he was born! Reese loves to feel the baby kick and Beckett just likes to look at my belly and always wants to "open it up", meaning lift up my shirt to see the big ol' baby belly.

{I have no idea how many weeks I am in these pictures, but they were both taken in Febuary!}

I'm excited to see how this little one will fit into our little family. We have been so blessed :) But why, oh, why does the end seem to always go by the slowest!?!?!

Artwork by Reese

2011-03-21T05:59:00.001-05:00

Age 4

Mommy, Beckett, Daddy & Reese

Happy Things

2011-03-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

I didn't mean to leave you all sad from that last post! Pretty sure I had to stop half way to go get a Kleenex, but I didn't think it would had the same affect on everyone else, too!

So since the last post was kind of a debbie downer, here's some happy things.

It's Friday, and my love is coming home tonight! He's been in Missouri since last Saturday with a bunch of High School kids on a Spring Break Mission Trip. It's been a fun week with just me and my kiddos, but we are sooo looking forward to having him home with us for the next couple of days.

These two. Just because they're cute. :)

I have these chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven and my house smells amazing.

I am loving/wanting this print from this etsy shop. Actually, they are all lovely and I would take any of them.

I am in the middle of this book. Good stuff- changing my perspective on who I am as a mom.

Have a fantastic weekend :)

Feeling Nostalgic

2011-03-15T21:41:00.002-05:00

We have been enjoying Spring Break around here and the warmer weather that has come with it. In somewhat exciting news, we got an offer on the house on Sunday. It was quiiiiite a bit lower than our asking price, so I wouldn't be surprised if nothing really comes of it, but we are in the process of negotiations this week. Once we got the news that there were some people who were seriously interested in buying our house, I had my first realization that someone else was soon going to be living in our house. We've lived here only 5 years out of the 50 or so that it's been around, so I know that this house was never really mine, but it's our first, which is kind of a big deal. And I got to thinking about all the little memories that we've had in this home.

This is where we brought our first baby home. And then our second.

Where I learned how to cook a good supper for my husband.

Where we painted rooms bright colors. Then repainted them more toned down colors.

Where our children learned to walk, ride a bike, and be "best buddies".

Where Wade taught his daughter how to play catch and I figured out how to grow a garden.

Where we've had a total of 4 "roommates" live with us downstairs.

Where we started our own family traditions.

Where we made pancakes with sprinkles on Sunday mornings.

Where we learned how to entertain friends... in our teeny tiny little kitchen.

Where we stayed up with sick kids in the middle of the night.

Where we learned to how to fight. And learned how to say I'm sorry.

Where we played, danced, cried, played "rawr", baked cookies, took bubble baths, and most of all, we loved.

Thank you Sylvia house, you've been so good to us.

I've come to realize that for our next home we're not neccessarily looking for something bigger or newer. This house is enough. Space wise, it's all we really need. But we are looking for something different, something that maybe fits our family, dreams, and lifestyle better. We're ready for an adventure. :)

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Finally Healthy (almost)

2011-03-12T21:20:00.000-06:00

[Insert sick picture of me, unshowered and with no make up here. No, I did not take one of myself, nor would I put something like that on the internet. Nobody wants to see that. It wasn't pretty.]

I am happy to report that, besides me, we are all healthy and back to our normal selves around here. These past two weeks have been a doozie at this house with all four of us being sick at different times. Beckett started us off with a cough and fever, but he was back to normal within a day or two. Then Reese got it, but showed very mild symptoms and never really got a fever or was nearly as bad as Beckett. Wade came next and missed a few days of work from congestion and a nasty ear infection. He was in a ton of pain, then one night while he couldn't sleep he heard a "popping sound" and yellow stuff oozed from his right ear for the next 3 days. He and Reese are on antibiotics. She had noticeably lost some hearing and was up a couple nights saying her ears hurt, so she went with Wade to the doctor. Hers were only a little red, but we tried to catch it before it got worse. Wade still can't hear anything in his right ear. :(

As for me, I was lucky enough to just get a little stuffy nose, which didn't seem like a big deal. I was too busy taking care of everyone else to really have time to feel that sick. But last Saturday morning I woke up with an AWFUL headache and concluded by Sunday morning that it must be a sinus infection. From my forehead to my chin, the entire left side of my face was in SO MUCH PAIN. Your not really advised to take ibuprofen when your pregnant, so I suffered through it for the first few days, until I got the go ahead to take some from my midwife. I have never had headaches that hurt so bad in my entire life. I am just now starting to feel a little better, but it has been a miserable week. Luckily, the kids have been good and have played well while I laid on the couch most of the day. And as a bonus, my sweet husband got me a netbook since I wasn't feeling well so I could entertain myself from the bed or the couch. Love that guy.

So that's where I've been the past two weeks- nursing my family and myself back to life. And if you've ever had a sinus infection before, you certainly have my sympathy now. They are NOT FUN!!!!

Today

2011-03-02T13:36:00.001-06:00

Despite

feeling a bit under the weather, but trying to hide it since wade is on the couch upstairs & feels worse than I do.

the fact that our van desperately needs new breaks. like, yesterday.

our house showing at 12:15-12:45 today was pushed back to 2:45-3:15.

beckett testing us to. the. limit. the past couple of days. his screaming, crying, hour long fits are getting old.

But

it's sunny out today.

i have a good book to read.

i have one more brownie covered oreo left.

and we're having pizza for supper. frozen pizza.

because i don't have the energy to even attempt to make supper.

{picture above by me, 10 minutes ago, from this website. so fun!}

Waiting

2011-02-13T13:42:00.001-06:00

Sipping an iced caramel latte (iced because there's a serious heat wave going on. Love it!!!) , waiting in the Home Depot parking lot while Reese & Wade pick up a few thing inside. Beckett fell asleep on the way here since this would normally be his naptime. We were kicked out of our house for another open house this afternoon.

We have newly engaged friends coming over for our anual Valentines's Day supper tonight. We're having Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Shells & cheesecake. Hopefully I'll post about that later this week.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Sweet Friday

2011-02-11T14:37:00.003-06:00

To do today:

Sleep in until 8:30. Check.

Chat with sweet friends. Check.

Sip a large cup of coffee. Check.

Pancakes with sprinkles for lunch. Check.

Paint something- a table, a shelf, not sure yet.

Take a nap.

Play Go Fish with Reese.

Buy some fresh flowers.

Thaw out some potato soup for supper.

Cuddle with my love.

My weekend is shaping up to be pretty fabulous. I hope yours is too :)

More Text Messages

2011-02-08T23:13:00.002-06:00

Today
From Wade to me:

275 lbs. Half hour ago

um, yeah. I'll explain this in a later post.

From me to my sister:

A belly shot that she'd been bugging me about for awhile. 24 weeks. I think.

Text Messages

2011-02-07T14:51:00.002-06:00

Two txt/pic messages sent today at 2:45 pm, first from Wade, then my response.

Waiting for hogs. hope ur day is goin great love u .
Wade

Me and Becky downstairs :)

*Liz Monroe

Snow Days

2011-02-02T14:27:00.000-06:00

I honestly try my hardest to be a positive person. I really do. But I also strive to be an honest person.

I reeeeally am not a big fan of snow and cold weather.

I try not to complain about it, but instead just deal with it. After all, I've lived in Iowa for the first 27 years of my life, so blowing snow, slick roads and everyone cancelling everything is something that is pretty normal during winter months. But I still don't really like it.

Anyway, we've been cooped up these past two days with school being cancelled. I go back and forth between "I love this! We're nice and cozy inside and I have all these fun activities to do with my children!" and "Argh! I can't stand this! I don't want to hear any more whining! GET ME OUT OF THIS HOUSE!"

It's too cold to go outside and play (it's currently 3°) so here are a few of the things we've done this week:

Made homemade Play-doh
Had a dance party
Baked up some yummy Zucchini Bars (from frozen zucchini from our garden)
Built a fort out of blankets
Painted pictures
Decorated the inside of our fort with our paintings
Had a picnic inside consisting of blueberries, crackers, carrots and string cheese
Watched movies (Beckett permanently scratched his current all time favorite-Toy Story 3 aka "Woody". Bummer.)
Went to Target for some shopping, coffee, and a rice krispie bar
Planted seeds in little flower pots
Played at the Y

It's been fun, but I'm running out of ideas! I really just want to go for a long walk. Or better yet, a short walk to go get ice cream. Oh, summer I am ready for ya!

Update on my Little Brother

2011-01-30T18:42:00.001-06:00

Thank goodness for technology and for Facebook! And thank goodness for Mitchell's friends putting up pictures of him online so that I can see how he's doing. I thought maybe I'd share some on here for anyone else who's interested. He's currently stationed in Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan. Let me know if want his address if you'd like to send him a hello or something :)

My Day Off :)

2011-01-28T14:53:00.002-06:00

Perfection.

2011-01-21T13:57:00.001-06:00

{taken from this post, which is also lovely}

Dinner and a Movie

2011-01-19T14:08:00.002-06:00

Anyone else remember that show? Ha! Actually, it's probably still on, I just wouldn't know since we don't have cable anymore. :)

Just wanted to share 2 quick things from my week so far:

First, last time we were at Wade's parents' house, I snagged a recipe that was originally from Ms. Sarah Monroe, as I'm a sucker for anything with tomato sauce and mozzerella cheeze. I made it Sunday night and it was de-lish! So, thanks Sarah! :)

Don't Cook the Pasta Manicotti

1 (8 oz) pkg uncooked manicotti shells

1 lb ground beef

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 cups tomato juice, divided

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 cups shredded mozzerella cheese, divided
1 (15 oz) carton ricotta cheese
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach
2 eggs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, brown meat w/ garlic, pour off fat. Stir in 2 cups tomato juice, tomato paste, oregano, sugar, salt & pepper. Simmer while preparing filling. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups mozz cheese, ricotta, thawed & drained spinach, eggs & parm; mix well. Preheat oven to 350°. Stuff uncooked shells (I used my hands), arrange in 9x13 pan. Spoon mean sauce evenly over shells, pour remaining tomato juice evenly on top. Cover w/ aluminum foil; bake 1 hour. Remove from oven and remove foil; immediately top w/ remaining mozz cheese. Serves 6-8. (Perfect for leftovers!)

And second, you've got to watch this little clip. They were on Ellen today and could not get any cuter if they tried!

Have a great Wednesday!!!

{Manicotti picture found here}

2011-01-18T14:40:00.002-06:00

New Year, New Blog. I love playing around with this thing! ;)

These are the words I would say

2011-01-14T09:06:00.002-06:00

Little Guy,
I know you're only two years old right now and just learning your ABCs, but you won't always be so small. For some reason, every time I hear this song I think of you.

Be strong in the Lord and,

Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,

I already know,

God's got His hand on you so,

Don't live life in fear,

Forgive and forget,

But don't forget why you're here,

Take your time and pray,

Thank God for each day,

His love will find a way,
These are the words I would say

~The Words I Would Say by Sidewalk Prophets

I love you, Beckett Leo!

What we've been up to...

2011-01-12T15:11:00.000-06:00

Lately, we've been busy...

1) ...eating sushi with this cute little family. Ed's a rockstar who makes his own sushi and it was pretty darn good.

2) ...at the OB getting a little peak at our littlest one. Yes, we found out the gender and no, we're not telling. Wade really wanted to find out, but I kinda didn't. So I made a deal with him and told him we could find out, but had to keep it a surprise for the rest of you! I know it's kind of a bratty thing to do, but I'm 99.999% sure it'll slip by Reese or one of us, so you'll probably find out sooner rather than later!

3) ...eating Snow Ice Cream! Mix together 5-6 cups of fresh, light, fluffy snow, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk, and 1 tsp vanilla. Not too bad! We made another batch to show Daddy, but I put in only half the amount of sugar (1/2 a cup seemed like a lot and it was reeeally sweet) and mixed in some almond milk too.

4) ...playing with our new Christmas toys. Favorites include this marble tower, a Barbie, a basketball hoop, a train set and some sparkly dress up high heals. :)

5) ... relentlessly cleaning our house from top to bottom for an open house and various showings by appointment. We have another one tonight from 6:15-6:45. Wade's gone at a church thing, so do I take the kids and grab fast food somewhere or stick to our normal dinner plans and eat later? I think I already know what I'll end up doing. I'm so lazy.

6) ...helping out this mama and celebrating the birth of these two sweet girls' little baby brother, Zion Edward.

Congratulations again, Simmer family! :)

Grateful.

2011-01-05T14:18:00.000-06:00

Today, I am grateful for:

1) The library. Seriously, sometimes I can't believe there's a place where they let me pick out and take home books, movies, music, magazines, books on CD for myself or the kids for FREE! (In theory, because I'm pretty sure I keep our public library up and running with all the fines I manage to rack up. Currently, Dora's Kite Fiesta was due last week and is MIA. Not cool.)

2) My sister's boyfriend, Mark & my brother's girlfriend, Nicole. Who knows how long they'll be around, but I'm not too worried about that. Right now, they are making my brother and sister happy and I LOVE that.

3) Little elbow jabs. The small kicks in my belly are still small yet compared to what they will be, but it never ceases to amaze me that there is a tiny PERSON inside of my body!

4) Coffee. I'm about to go make some right now. :)

5) Our troops. Whether here at home or across seas (like my cute little brother, Mitchell) these men and women are sacrificing their time and lives for our awesome country. For that, I could never express enough gratitude.

I hope you have a FANTASTIC day. :)

2010 in Review

2011-01-03T16:24:00.000-06:00

2010 has gone by so fast, and what a year it has been!

I started this post last week and wanted to get it published when it was...uhh... still 2010. I forgot that I told a friend we'd come over and play this morning, and I still have half of the dough for our annual Christmas cinnamon rolls sitting in my fridge, waiting to be made. The house is a disaster, we have no groceries, and I have yet to put away the Christmas decorations. It's only the beginning of 2011 and I feel like I'm already behind!

At any rate, here's a little recap of our awesome year. I loved 2010 and am sad to see it go. I can only hope that this next year can live up to the high standards that 2010 set! Thank you to all the people who have stuck by us. You mean more than you'll ever know. Anyway, just pretend you read this last week, okay? ;)

2010 Highlights

January: Repainted bedrooms (3 of them) and finishing the basement. Reese continued gymnastics at the Y and dance at Allison's Dance Center.

February: Costa Rica w/ Roger & Mary! AMAZING!!!!

March: Marriage Retreat for a weekend in Story City, took the kids to The Children's Museum for the day. I continue to watch 2 little girls and Wade is super busy with planting season at work. We celebrated our 3rd anniversary.

April: I begin training for my big race, we had a small Easter egg hunt part at our house.

May: Beckett began potty training

June: I ran the Dam to Dam 20K, Reese attended her first VBS, took our first family trip to the zoo.

July: Lots of popsicles & pool parties at our house, purchased a van, Reese turned 4!

August: We celebrated Wade's 27th birthday with a surprise party, held a garage sale, went to the Iowa State Fair, Reese started preschool, my sister moved in with us, my little brother was shipped out to start training before he leaves for Afghanistan.

September: Beckett turned 2! Roadtripped to Pennsylvania for my friend Cathy's wedding, visited friends in New Jersey and spent the day in New York City.

October: Found out we were pregnant with #3, Wade went with Reese on a school field trip to the fire station.

November: Travelled to Kansas City for the Erickson family Thanksgiving, attended my sweet friend Jessie's wedding in Des Moines.

December: Put our house on the market, attended my brother's graduation from Iowa State.

Valentine's Day, our family's homemade 'gormet' meal

Costa Rica, Wade's first time scuba diving

Summer fun

Our family's favorite place in the summer.

Reese had her first dance recital.

Me, participating in the French Silk Pie competition at the fair

Halloween

Camping in PA & New York City

Let's go, 2011. We're ready for ya.

On Santa Claus

2010-12-24T12:03:00.001-06:00

We don't do Santa.

There. I said it. So controversial, right? ;) Yeah, we're rebels.

We've got nothing against the jolly old fella, but we just kind of omit him in our Christmas festivities. We know he's not the devil or even believe he's anti-Christian. We like Santa and the kids watch movies like Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, even read books like The Night Before Christmas. We just don't try to convince our children that he's real. Because he's not. They know him as a character, just like Mickey Mouse or Cinderella.

Wade and I made this decision last year when Reese was 3. We both feel that there are so many lies out there that are told to our children (You need to be a certain weight to be pretty. More things will make you happier. It's not cool to wear clothes that don't have brand names. etc....) and our job as parents was to make sure she knew what was TRUE. It just felt weird lying to her about who put that present under the tree for her to open. Why give the credit to someone else when we spent our hard-earned money on something special for our child?

Or how about telling my kids to be good and then they'll get lots of presents? Uh, how about my kids are well behaved because that's what I expect of them all year long. And Santa's always "watching"? Creepy.

I want my kids to know that I will always be honest with them. If they find out one day that I had made up this whole Santa story, I don't want them to wonder what else isn't true (perhaps the birth of Jesus and the nativity scene?). A few weeks ago, Reese really reinforced the decision we had made. One night after reading a book about the first Christmas, she told Wade, "But Jesus is just pretend, right Daddy?" They talked about it, but it was quite eye opening.

So basically, we don't judge people who do carry on the tradition of Santa Claus because really, it's cute. But this just works best for our family.

So if we don't do Santa, what do we do? Just about everything else. My kids will definitely feel the magic of Christmas. They know that, first and foremost, we are celebrating Jesus' birthday! But we also make cookies & other goodies, drink hot chocolate & look at Christmas lights, get presents under the Christmas tree, buy gifts for our Adopt-A-Family, particiate in a Jesse Tree, make snowmen, attend Christmas services at church, decorate the house, and the list goes on and on.

I will admit it has been a little hard. It seems it's an easy ice breaker for every. single. adult to ask R&B if they've seen Santa yet and what they asked him for Christmas. Reese is slightly confused. Why do relatives and strangers keep talking about Santa like he's real? Don't they know? Then there's the challenge of making sure she doesn't spoil it for other kids... We've discussed this with her too.

I'm still not 100% sure if we've made the right decision, but I guess we'll find out. Hopefully my kids won't resent me down the road for stealing their childhood fantasies about Santa. And if you happen to see my kids after Christmas, please don't ask them what Santa brought them, Reese is still not sure what to say. :)

A bit of news...

2010-12-23T15:20:00.002-06:00

This comes as no suprise to most of you, but it's about time I shared that we will adding another member to our family in May 2011.

I am 17 weeks along and feeling fabulous!

In other news, Reese has been fighting a ear infection for about a month. It hasn't caused her any pain, so besides her not hearing as well as normal, we had no idea. She was referred to the doctor since she didn't pass her hearing test at school and as of yesterday is on anibiotics 3x a day.

Beckett is fighting his own little cold that seems to finally be getting better. Lots of fevers and waking up in the middle of the night last week meant the Little Guy slept in our bed quite a bit. (Which equals less sleep for me, since the kid moves around a ton. Wade hardly notices.)

And right now, Reese is off from school and is watching Narnia, Beckett is sleeping, and I am munching on M&Ms. In a bit, we'll make these before we get ready for the second showing of our house today. (More on that later ;) )

Invisible Mothers

2010-12-17T13:19:00.000-06:00

My mother-in-law sent me this today, and it was just what I needed. Lately, I feel like I've been losing myself. Not really many friends to cling to, stuck in the day to day routines, not nearly enough time with my husband. If you ask me, the years from 0-2 were cake compared to now. (There's a big difference in taking care of babies and actually raising children.) How did my mom do this???

So today, this short story made me feel a little better, but I'll continue to sip my caramel mocha from McDonald's and wallow in my self pity. Just one of those days....

The Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

Some days I'm a crystal ball; 'Where's my other sock?, Where's my phone?, What's for dinner?'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: 1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. 2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. 3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. 4) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was Almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.

No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, he'd say, 'You're gonna love it there...'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.

Baby, it's cold outside!

2010-12-11T14:34:00.000-06:00

The snow is coming down, but my family is all home and we've got no where to go, so it's perfectly alright with me.

Reese is sooo excited to go sledding, for some reason, and is heartbroken that there's just not enough snow yet. A little bit ago, Wade was going to go outside and take care of a few things in the garage when, of course, his mini-me Beckett, wanted to go with him. So he told him to go potty first, go find his boots in the closet, and helped him get everything on. Then, as I predicted silently in my head, Reese wanted to come too, so on went her snow gear. Then Wade had the nerve to say, "Gosh, I just needed to go outside for a minute but this is turning into a half an hour ordeal!" Umm.... YEAH. I told him, "Welcome to my world, honey. Add a one year old to the mix and maybe you'll know how I feel every day."

Pics from today and this week:

Man, she looks old.

It's Grandpa! Last Christmas, R&B got "The Night Before Christmas", one of those Hallmark recordable books. Roger recorded it for them, and now Grandpa is in our living room everyday. All day long. The kids love it.

After making snickerdoodles, which is starting to be my favorite cookie.

Mr. Squirrel eating our bagel birdfeeder (instructions here). Reese was freaking out, worried he was going to break it/eat it all.

Tears.

2010-12-09T15:07:00.000-06:00

Man, I just can't seem to get back into my habit of blogging on a regular basis! Bear with me, until I find my groove again. Today I made my second cup of coffee in about 4 months, which makes me feel like myself again, hence the blog post.

Anyway, I've got much to blog about, but for today I'll just share some links that popped up on my Google Reader. (Sitting down to check my GR is one of the best parts of my day. If you don't have it yet, ask me and I'll tell you how to set it up!!!)

I don't know what is with me today, but just about everything has made me want to cry. Like, that stupid "mom cry" over a silly Folger's commercial.

* These two photographers are fantastic and their pictures from their post today made my heart melt and my eyes water.

* I can't put this book down. It's soooo good and today, it, too, made me get a little teary-eyed. I'm not quite done yet, but I highly recommend it!

* I just adore this family. They have been such a spiritual blessing in our life. There is just something about a dad and his little girl that is so special. Don't ask why this one made me get all sappy, but I cried reading this one, too.

* And lastly, I loved this post. I feel sooo stongly about this same thing, and I say something similar to Reese every day before she goes to preschool. I so desperately want this for my own kids.

And there you have it. Just 4 reasons I cried (so far) today. I'm sure it won't be the last. And speaking of crying, there is a sweet 2 year old little boy, in his bed crying since he just woke up, that I must go attend to. :)

Time for Christmas Cards!

2010-11-30T15:08:00.000-06:00

Now that Thanksgiving has past (had a lovely time in Kansas City, Ericksons! Thanks!) it's game on for Christmas. I'm all about following the holidays in order and not skipping over any like the retail market tries to do. (Did I ever tell you about how I threw Wade a surprise birthday party in August? When I went to Hobby Lobby they had no decorations for my fiesta themed party because they had moved in all their Christmas inventory. In early August!)

Anyway. We will start our Jesse Tree tomorrow and probably put up some decorations. To save money, we only send out cards every other year but this year, Shutterfly has an offer for bloggers that I'm so thankful for!

Here are 2 of my faves that I've picked out...

And if you remember my post about my Christmas cards last year, you can be darn sure they will say "Merry Christmas" this time!

Seriously, they've got so many cute Christmas photo cards it's unreal. Of course they've got other awesome products like desk calendars and baby announcements.

Other bloggers, if you are interested in 50 FREE photo cards from Shutterfly, go HERE! Woo hoo!

Thankful. Grateful. Blessed.

2010-11-25T16:30:00.000-06:00

For oh-so-much!

It's amazing to think that I have everything I've always wanted. And to quote my favorite movie Willy Wonka, "If the good Lord had intended us to walk, he wouldn't have invented roller skates."

Oh wait, wrong quote.

Willy Wonka: But Charlie, don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he he always wanted.
Charlie Bucket: What happened?
Willy Wonka: He lived happily ever after.

Indeed, it is good to give thanks to the Lord. Just ask Reese. She knows. :)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Oh, and I've been writing this post in between letting the crust refridgerate for this pie that I am currently attempting to make!!!!!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-16T14:47:00.000-06:00

Anyone even still check this?

If not, that's all right. I need to keep up with it for me, anyways. I looked back on last years Halloween blog posts and smiled, not sure how my little ones are getting so big. I know I'll be sad if I don't keep documenting the little (and big) moments in our life. I'm not a baby book keeper nor am I good at printing out loads of pictures to collect in a photo album then hide away in a closet. And scrapbooking? Not a chance.

So anyways, there's no way I'll be able to catch up on the last few months of life on this blog because we've done a ton of things. But I can at least start with Halloween and maybe throw in some old news every now and then.

Tigger and Ariel

Here was last year's Halloween post. :)

I've got much to share (soon) so I'll try to pop on and update more often. Have a fabulous week!

This post is for Wade

2010-09-19T16:26:00.000-05:00

It's not your birthday.

It's not our anniversary.

It's not because you've recently done anything above and beyond.

It is because you are awesome. And I always want to you to know how loved you are. I don't know where I'd be today if it weren't for you. You are an fantastic husband, father, friend. I can honestly say, I never get sick of hanging out with you.

Thank you for going to get the groceries for me yesterday. (You know that is my least favorite thing to do. Ugh.) Thanks for playing with the kids so I could be lazy and lay on the couch. Thanks for making me feel so awesome about the way I look. Thanks for letting me watch Amazing Cakes and Back to the Future, even though football was on (although you'd already been watching if for like 4 hours straight...). Thanks for doing the dishes. (You know I despise that, too.) Thanks for, in general, putting up with me.

You're the best. :)

XOXO

Happy Birthday, Beckett!

2010-09-05T16:42:00.000-05:00

In case you saw our recent (last minute, thrown together!) family photos and thought our family looked like it belonged in a magazine...

I assure you, it has a lot to do with the photographer! This is our family portrait that we picked up today for our church directory. Oh, it makes me chuckle. :)

And HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY to my favorite little guy in the entire world!!!!!!!!
I look at him 50 times a day and think, "Oh my gosh, he is SO cute!" He makes me smile just thinking about him, and I can't wait to see who this little person is going to become.

He's constantly asking to go play basketball at the Y, putting on his sister's lipgloss ever so quietly so she doesn't find out and yell at him, still eats a banana first thing every morning without fail, and is obsessed with tractors & lawn mowers.

His best friends are his blankie and Lexi, in that order. He LOVES cut up avocado. He still cries when I leave him, but if I tell him we'll play basketball later, he usually calms down. Before he goes to bed every night, we cuddle and I sing "Desperado" to him, and it's one of my favorite times of the day.

I absolutely, positively adore you, little guy. You are a pretty big deal around here!

Way Behind on Blogging :(

2010-09-03T17:27:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure what I want these days.

I want to live out in the country. Homeschool my kids and raise a few chickens. I want them to be able to run around outside without pants on and not worry about them running into the street.

But I also want to live in town so I can walk to Subway just to get a cookie. Chat with a neighbor over the fence. Ride our bikes to a friends house for an improptu playdate. Drop them off at school in the morning then stop at Starbucks for a coffee.

I want to always feed my kids homemade, nutritious food.

But I really do like McDonald's and it's convenience.

I want to be Amazing. Great. Successful. Well-known. EXTRAORDINARY.

But I'm also content with being a normal, average mom with my adorable little family. Living happily ever after in a modest home bursting at the seams with love, giggles, and fingerprints.

I want to help people. In a big way. There is so much hurting out there and something inside of me craves making a difference.

But I also just want to help my family. The most important people in my life. Make sure that I don't mess it up. I'm creating future little adults to send out into this world who have the potential to make a big impact on people. I want it to be a positive impact.

I want a simple life.

But I also love being busy.

These pictures don't have anything to do with this post. In fact, this post doesn't have much to do with anything! Just some random musings that have been on my brain lately. Have a wonderful weekend! Go Hawks!

(And hopefully I'll catch up on some August posts soon!)

My Favorite Way to Spend a Saturday :)

2010-08-28T16:07:00.003-05:00

At the coffee shop, playing Candyland on the patio with my favorite little 4 year old!

Vegetables!

2010-08-27T08:18:00.002-05:00

Our New Toy

2010-08-23T14:01:00.001-05:00

Our latest purchase!

It's a bike trailor/double stroller! Woo hooo! We are waaaay pumped about it. We snagged some old bikes from my parents house and are excited to get on those trails.

These pics were from our first ride last week. It resulted in Wade's bicycle chain breaking at the furthest point of our ride (about 3 miles away from our house), and then me riding along side him as he jogged and pushed the stroller. As he slowed down since he was way tired, I turned and asked him if he could at least power walk. He gave me the look of death, which caused me to laugh and then fall off my bike and roll down a hill. The kids were hysterically crying. Later, Reese reeeeeaaaally had to go to the bathroom, so we pulled over to the side of the road and let her go in the weeds. When we got back home, Wade took off to go fetch his broken bike. Hilarious!

I love these people!

First Day of Preschool

2010-08-20T13:55:00.000-05:00

It came and went. And we survived!!

Reese started her first day of everyday 4 year old preschool yesterday.

In fact, she's there right now. And she's totally fine. And I knew she would be. Working at the Y and leaving her in the daycare there for the past 4 years has helped a bunch. I think Sunday School helped, too. Either way, yesterday she was a-okay with me leaving. She kind of looked at me like, "Um, don't you have somewhere to go or something? I'm fine!" Her buddy, Talia, was there so she was happy as a clam to be staying all afternoon.

I did pretty good, as well. It would've been nice if she could have shown maybe just a little sadness that I was leaving, but since she didn't it actually made it a ton easier to leave half of my heart there.

And as I was leaving, I asked her for a kiss good-bye. She leaned in and then abruptly stopped. "Wait Mommy! I have lipgloss on!" And she turned her head to the side so I could kiss her cheek.

And it starts. *sigh*

(Oh, and if you're wondering what she's wearing... I always let her pick out her own clothes. Why not on the first day of school, too?) :)

Food Challenge Week 3

2010-08-11T23:03:00.000-05:00

I have been up to my ears in pots & pans, knives & cutting boards, and been saying, "Hey, taste this. What do you think?"

It's been fun but kinda ready to be done. Tomorrow I'm making my last 'trial' French Silk Pie for Wade's birthday. (Happy birthday, handsome husband! Love you!) Modifications will include vanilla bean, instant coffee & a layer of fudge. YUM.

Week 1 (Recipes 1-6)

Week 2 (Recipes 7-12)

Week 3 (Recipes 13-20)

13. Caramel Latte Milk Shakes - Suggested by sweet friend Erin, I could not say no to this one! And they did not dissapoint :) When I finished it, part of me wanted to contently lay on the couch for an entire week, the other part of me wanted to go running immediately.

14. Pico de Gallo - I had seen many reccomendations for this from many people on the internet. It would have been much better if I hadn't made it so darn spicy! It called for 3 jalapenos, and I folowed the recipe exactly. It was almost too hot for Wade. Would make it again, just not so spicy.

15. Salted Caramel Cupcakes - HOLY MOLY THESE WERE GOOD. In a different sort of way! A little bit more labor intensive than the normal frosted cupcake, but way worth it. Had to share them to get them out of my house!!!!

16. Chicken Squash Bake - This was a yummy supper, neccessary to use up some of my yummy yellow summer squash. Everyone seemed to like it. Will make again!

17. BLT Pasta Salad - This one is definitely going on the list for my next get-together! Bacon, mayo, pasta.. how could you go wrong!? So summery. Loved it. (Next time I'll add lots more bacon!!!!!)

18. Frozen Fruit & Yogurt Rollups - Adults loved them. Kids... not so much. But I think they would have liked them if they tried more than a nibble. I might try this one again in a year or so. Good & simple.

19. Bruschetta - A good afternoon snack suggested for me to try by my awesome buddy, Angie. It was delish, except it seemed to take a lot of work for 30 seconds of goodness.

20. Roasted Cajun Potatoes - Found this last minute for a side dish to our supper on Sunday with grilled pork chops and the BLT pasta. VERY GOOD. Not spicy at all.

A Few Recipes...

2010-08-08T15:03:00.002-05:00

So as you know, this is Week 3 of my Food Challenge. I. AM. EXAUSTED!!!!

I'll post all of my recipes for week 3 tomorrow or so, but here are a few that my sister jazzed up in her free time. Y'know, just a little something she whipped up in like 5 minutes. Aren't they SO CUTE?! (She's upset that I didn't take pictures of recipes 1-15.)

On the agenda for this week: Wade's birthday, garage sale, picking raspberries, and a home meeting with Reese's preschool teacher (!!!).

{click pictures to enlarge}

Have a fabulous week! :)

My love/hate relationship with technology.

2010-08-05T15:03:00.000-05:00

Today we had a picnic at the park. It was absolutely gorgeous out today!

{this picture was not from today. It was actually taken on Reese's birthday last month!}

And for some reason, as we were sitting there eating our PB&Js, I thought, "Oh, this is fun, I should make this my Facebook status and send it from my phone!" But then talked myself out of it, since that'd be silly. I mean, we have picnics at the park at least once a week. No big deal. I mean, who really cares if I'm at the park with my kids? Why do I feel the need to share that? So I can look like a good mom? I mean, REALLY.

Then as the kids were playing, a little voice in the back of my head said, "Hey, now would be a good time to check my messages on Facebook. I wonder if so-and-so has gotten back to me yet." I quickly decided against it, but was still confused why I even wanted to be on the internet instead of running around with my kids. I used to never be like this!

It's an addiction. Similar to drugs, it sucks you in and makes you want more. When I first got this phone that has internet on it, I wasn't completely sold on it. The salesman at the store told me, "But you don't have to wait 'til you get home to check your email or Facebook!" And I thought, "Oh, heaven forbid you wait until you get home! Oh how awful!" (Actually, i might have said this outloud....)

Another example, last night I was hanging out with my sister and Wade. I was telling them a story about my day, when I realized neither of them were looking at me, they were both staring at their phones, online, only half listening to what I was saying.

I'm over it! As a culture, we are slipping into the attitude of having every bit of information at our fingertips. Technology is wonderful, really it is. And I'm not about to go and delete my Facebook or email accounts because the benefits of them definitely outway the disadvantages. But there has to be technology etiquette or something. Boundries. People first, technology second. And stop sharing every little detail about your life that day, and just LIVE IT!

Am I the only one here?

Food Challenge Week 2

2010-08-03T15:04:00.000-05:00

I'm half way done!

And this second week was still fun, but I wasn't quite as excited to take the time to find the new recipes, copy them down, and then find the time to make them.

But it got done, nonetheless.

Week 1 (Recipes 1-6)

Week 2:
(Recipes 7-12)

7. BBQ Bacon Ranch Dip: I made this for a everyone to eat after Wade's golf tournament last weekend, and everyone loved it! Not sure if I would make it again, but it was good. Different. Kind of like a layered bean dip, but not. :)

8. The Best Lemon Bars: I adore lemon bars so I used this opportunity to make this yummy summer dessert! The kids helped me and it was super simple and good. I might try fresh squeezed limes next time.

9. Cauliflower-Cheese Soup: Wade and the kids loved this. Wade's aunt Nancy gave us a whole head of fresh cauliflower from her garden, so I made this soup with the intentions to freeze half for a later date, but didn't get the chance to since we ate most of it that night. :(

10. Spaghetti Salad: Nancy also gave us a bunch of cucumbers. I always have a hard time finding recipes that call for cucumbers, but tried this one. Meh... it was alright. It's still sitting in our fridge. (I added diced ham cubes to it as well.)

11. Sweet Party Mix: SO GOOD! For sure making again! I made this for Reese to take with her to Adventureland with Grandma and the cousins. I think they liked it too. Instead of what's listed I used Cheerios, pretzles, m&ms, dry roasted peanuts and corn Chex.

12. Sausage Zucchini Bake: Our garden hasn't been producing a ton of zucchinis this year, but the ones I do find hidden under those ginormous leaves are H-U-G-E!!! This dish was good. Not bad. Not 'knock your socks off', just good. (Since my zucchini was so big, it turned out very watery.)

Okay, so I guess 12/30 isn't quite half way.... so I'd better get to cooking! Seriously, I need your recipes!!! On the list this week, Pico de Gallo (we've got lots of tomatoes!!!!), a summer squash chicken recipe, and some rainbow cupcakes.

Also, less that two weeks away from my French Silk Pie Contest! I've only made 2 so far. Don't judge me if I look much, much larger the next time you see me. :)

My Funny Children

2010-07-28T14:49:00.000-05:00

Oh, this picture makes me laugh! Am I the only one? Does everyone else look at it and think, "Oh, what a scared little boy! Somebody help him!" My sweet little guy was absolutely terrified of the sheep and goats at the petting zoo this week, and I have to admit, it kind of made me chuckle. :) (What kind of mother am I?!?!)

Another funny story... (don't judge me...) we were eating supper last night and I can't, for the life of me, remember what we were talking about. It had something to do with me forgetting to do something, and Reese laughed sweetly and said, "Oh, Mommy, you're a silly bitch." Wade and I both almost choked on what we were eating and asked her to repeat what she said because we were sure we had heard her wrong. "I said, you're a silly bitch" she said with a smile. Wade asked, "Did you say 'witch'?" And Reese replied, "No, well, kind of like witch, but with a B."

**SILENCE.**

Wade and I exchanged glances, trying to decide what to do, when we both just burst out laughing! Where on earth would she have heard such a thing!? Neither one of us swear, nor do we hang out with people who do. She is in a stage right now where she makes up random words and expects us to know what they are, or that 'joisdjfsoh' means 'cup' in Spanish, but is that what was going on here????? We decided to not even bring much attention to it, instead telling her that calling me that made me feel sad, so she shouldn't say that anymore. And like that, she was asking for more milk and had totally forgotten about the whole thing. OH WOW!

I also found this today that I wanted to share. SO neat. Makes me feel like I'm kind of doing something right. What should a 4 year old know?

{From last night. She insists on making a silly face every time we take self pics like this. Cracks me up.}

2010-07-26T21:59:00.000-05:00

*Liz Monroe

B Potty Training and Random. :)

2010-07-22T22:12:00.001-05:00

This little boy is a rock star. A ROCK STAR, I tell you! I would never brag about him like this in real life, but just can't help being excited about how well his potty training is going!

Back when I wasn't a mom, I had no idea about how excited I would be about pee and poop (and even more excited that it's not on the floor)! And I never thought I'd post pictures of my kids on the toilet!

At about one month shy of his 2nd birthday, he's pretty much got it down! He wakes up in the morning and after naps dry. He can go when I want him too, but also tells us when he needs to go. We are wearing underwear all the time (except for bedtime, just in case) and only have accidents when he's outside playing and is too busy to stop and go.

Have I mentioned that I'm ridiculously proud of him!?!?

A random summer movie:

I have been researching a lot about this. IT. IS. WAR. And I will win.

The 30 Recipes in 30 Days Challenge is going exceptionally well!! Here's what we've had so far:

1. BBQ Chicken Pizza Soup - Excellent! I added more broth, diced tomatoes from the garden and substituted 2 shredded chicken breasts for the canned chicken. Next time I'll add orzo or quinoa to beef it up a bit.

2. Avocado Feta Salsa - Wade and I both give this one a 10 out of 10! We will definitely make this again! I added a little bit of lemon juice to prevent browning

3. Creamy Vegetable Bow Tie Toss - Found from Ms. Rachel Greene's food blog, and it was quite tasty. Kids ate it and it made a ton for leftovers!

4. White Chocolate PB&J Puppy Chow - Yummy, but only in small ammounts. (Don't ask how I know this.) We made this this morning since it was to wet to play outside, then cuddled on the couch and watched Cars. Perfection. :)

5. French Silk Pie - Trial #1. Verdict, WOWZA. So creamy & chocolatey & rich & fattening.... anyone interested in taking some pie off my hands in the future??

6. Sun Dried Tomato Hummus - We are big hummus fans in this house, so this one was kind of a no-brainer. Simple and good.

If you try anything, let me know!!!!!!!

If you haven't seen this yet >> click here << The highlight of my week :)

Reese got to meet Dan Wardell (that crazy guy from IPTV) at the library yesterday. (the link above has more pics from that morning.)

Aaaaaand I think that's it! Congratulations if you made it this far! Tomorrow we are off to the pool (again!) because Friday's our pool & ice cream day! :)

Summer So Far

2010-07-20T16:20:00.000-05:00

Head's up.... this post contains A TON of pictures!!!

Our version of a summer scrapbook :) And the best part is there is still much more summer left!

(I have so many stories to share about each of these photos, but am too short on time right now to write them all. You get the point, though, right? We've basically had a ton of fun!)

My Food Challenge

2010-07-16T14:37:00.000-05:00

So..... remember a little while back I told you I was looking for a new adventure?

Well, I've found it!

My oh-so-lovely friend, Christina, suggested that I do something food/cooking related. Well, just so happens that I love to eat and try new things, which has a little something to do with cooking! I have kind of been a slacker mom lately. I usually have our menus planned out and had a least one new meal every week or so. Well, I've been in a rut and have felt way unmotivated to cook.

So I've decided on two food related adventures:

1) Enter a cooking contest. I had no idea what this entailed or how to even go about doing so. After some searching on the internet, I found that the State Fair has food contests for just about ANYTHING, and I knew we were going to be in town on August 15th which happens to be the day they will be judging the FRENCH SILK PIE contest! So I entered online and paid the fee and recieved my "tags" the other day in the mail. Ohmygoodnesgracious I have no idea what I'm doing.

Yeah, so what if I've never made a French Silk Pie in my life?! I'll learn. Uhh, anyone have any tips?????

2) Try 30 recipes in 30 days. They must be new recipes that I've never had before. It can be snacks, desserts, meals, anything. I don't even have to eat them right away, I can stick them in the freezer for later. I can't possibly do 30 new suppers for 30 days straight. There are just some nights where I'm tired or short on time that we stop and get pizza or eat leftovers. Not to mention that this would blow our weekly food budget out of the water. Which is I guess part of the challenge. To keep me organized, I'll try to post what I'm making on here now and then in case you want to try anything as well. (I'm thinking this will definitely be on my list!)

So here goes nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and this one sounds like A LOT more fun than my running challenge, don't ya think? :)

{Pie image found here}

My Kind of Saturday Night

2010-07-11T16:20:00.000-05:00

I love my little family. Every little darn thing about them.

I usually try to keep us somewhat busy. Like yesterday evening, we didn't have anything going on so we decided to head to the nearby pool or the golf course for 9 holes of golf as a family.

We needed groceries first, so we loaded everyone up and headed out. When we got home, I realized I forgot to get potatoes for supper and my pork chops to grill were still frozen. Sweet corn was the other item on our menu, so Wade and Beckett left in search for some. As Reese sat next to me on the step, playing with her Barbie, I waved good-bye to my husband (sporting some awesome aviators) in our gold minivan. I knew right then that this is exactly the life I've always wanted. A modest home on a quiet street, remnants of lunch still on my kids' faces, and a minivan for goodness sake!

Anyway, turns out, the sweet corn vendors pack up sometime before 6:30 so we were out of luck. It took Wade about 2 seconds to be on the phone with Pizza Hut, ordering us supper. (I seriously love him.)

Ideas of going swimming and golfing quickly turned into a game of tackle football in the backyard. Just hanging out, being a family. It was so one of those nights that was nothing special, but one that I want to cement into my brain. (Hence the dozens of pictures!) My heart just feels so full!

(to document that I was actually there...)

Woooah there, Garden!

2010-07-08T14:48:00.001-05:00

Dear Garden,

Please stop growing! I mean, go ahead and ripen your delicious fruit, but stop getting so freakin' BIG!!!!! You're right, it is my fault for planting you all so close together, I realize that. But next year I'll know better! But in the meantime, go ahead and take a couple weeks off. That'd be great. K, Thanks.

Love, Liz (the girl who comes out and admires you everyday)

May 24th

July 8th

Waiting for things to ripen...

Good-bye June, Hello July!

2010-07-03T16:32:00.000-05:00

PHEW!!!! June is over. What a busy, wonderful month! Have I mentioned I love summer, and just about everything that goes with it?! (Except for bugs that eat my flowers. I do not love them.)

A few things that we did in the month of June:

(for my own record, really)

T-ball

My 20K

Reese's Dance Recital

Sturgis Falls

Lots of Swimming

Playdates

Parades

VBS (x2)

Father's Day

Zoo

Grandpa Merle's Birthday Party

And more.

There were so many pictures that I wanted to post for this month I almost added a third collage. Plus, the excitement of having a new camera means lots and lots of pictures just to try it out!!!

The Lord continues to be so good to us. We cannot praise Him enough for the continuous blessings in our life!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!

And check out these awesome patriotic pictures from the Pioneer Woman's blog. So awesome!