Library Day

Today was library day. We go every Tuesday for story hour. Today was quite an adventure to get out the door. We were late today for the first time. It wasn't my fault. We were trying to get out the door but Grace decided to throw a 20 minute tantrum. Not exaggerating. In fact, I would have just stayed home but that would be punishing Andrew also. Grace wanted to wear Andrew's flip flops today but I wouldn't let her. Sometimes she wants to wear her snow boots when it's 75 out, no big deal but I wasn't going to let her wear Andrew's flip flops that are way too big for her. Bill and Wendy (neighbors across the street and over one house) could hear her when I opened the door and were looking over to see if everything was ok. I just waved and they laughed. Grace finally came out carrying her shoes that she had taken off for the 2nd time. This girl can throw some tantrums. Rumor is that she got it from me. I can blame David for some things but I'm pretty sure this is all mine. She screamed all the way to the library. I called my friend to see if she would meet Andrew at the door so I could stay outside with Grace. I finally reached behind me and told Grace to hold my hand and she grabbed on tight with both hands. She finally calmed down but was still a little upset when we got there. I went ahead and took them both in and Grace didn't leave my lap. Not sure what it was but she needed mommy. Poor thing, I hope she begins talking more soon because she is having a really rough time not being able to communicate. God is really helping me though because it is really hard to handle all these tantrums. Other than that the day was good. I worked at church tonight and Papa Wayne came over early to stay with the kids for me. Grace of course didn't want me to leave but Papa took her outside and that made her happy. I've been busy getting ready for the big party on Saturday. Today I made the goody bags. They look really cute.

Tomorrow Heather, David, and Jeremiah are supposed to come over to play. Heather and I are going to work on the garden. I planted a few things today but I need someone to guide me. I know she loves doing things like this. Andrew is excited to have his best friend David come over. The other day I said something about David Goodman and he said David is my best friend. I asked what about Jeremiah and he said that Jeremiah is a little bit little. I said well, he is 3 like you and he said but mom, I'm 3 and a half. Apparently that makes him way too old for Jeremiah. So funny. Have a great day! Love you all!

Manic Monday

Well, I got up this early this morning to back to church and work again. No thanks to my alarm, I set it but forgot to turn it on. Sure doesn't work very well that way. We were in a hurry and the kids DID NOT want to leave so quickly after they woke up but off we went. They were fighting on the way to church, across the backseat, couldn't even reach out and touch hands but still, fighting over whom the binoculars belong to. Of course the binoculars were on the floor completely out of reach but they continued to fight. I finally had it about 10 minutes into this whole ordeal and said the typical parental words, "If you don't stop I'm going to pull this car over!" I can already hear you laughing. Anyway, it actually got worse so I did pull over and jumped out. Andrew got a little scared at this point and cried harder and louder to which I replied, "Do you want me to leave you right here and pick you up after church?" Not exactly what I should be saying but he did quiet down afterward and stayed that way for the next 15 minutes at least. Then in a very quiet voice he said, "Mommy, you aren't being very nice to me." I replied, "No Andrew mommy isn't very nice right now but I need you and Gracie to be nice to each other and then I can be nice again." Thanks God! I needed that reality check. I felt terrible, my (almost) 4 year old tells me to be nice.

I'm glad to report that the rest of the day was great. No problems or major fighting. When we got back from church Andrew told me that his jeans have a hole in the knee. I told him no big deal, we will get new ones. He said "These jeans are almost a goner." So cute. I'm sure he learned that from daddy but still cute.

Andrew fell asleep for a late nap today, like around 4:30. He was sitting on the floor in the corner of the couch and we were watching tv. I looked down and he was asleep. Here's a picture

Also, I took a picture of Grace when she woke up with her bedhead and a picture of her bed. She sleeps with so much stuff. The problem with taking some of it out is that she makes sure it's all there when we put her to bed and lets you know when something is missing. It's like playing a game of Where's Waldo? except Where's Gracie? See if you can find her. A prize to the first one who can find her....hahaha!

Gracie and her bedhead.

And finally, a picture of her bday invite for those of you who haven't seen it yet.

Just Checking In

I just jumped online to clear out my inbox and check my comments. Yay for me I actually have comments. I just got home after a very long day. Left at 7:45 am to work at church and then went to the birthday party, shopping for Grace's party, back to work and finally to the grocery store. I am exhausted and missed my family soooo much. I saw them for a little while at the party but I wouldn't say Chuck E Cheese's is quality time together. The kids had a lot of fun and were really good. Grace was asleep when I got home but I'm going to go crawl in bed with my boys. Yes, Andrew sleeps with us. We'll work on that later! Anyway, I'll write more tomorrow. For now I need to be wife and mommy. Love you all.

Planting

Well, we didn't exactly plant today but we got the garden all ready to plant. David worked really hard today and got really burnt as well. Something with men and not wearing a shirt when they work outside. Anyway, the gardens are ready and I drew diagrams today to determine where to plant everything. I went online to find out about companion gardening to place things together that work well. I am going to plant some marigolds next to my tomatoes and mint plants by the cucumbers, onions with the strawberries. I learned a lot about what to plant with what but I just don't have enough space for everything. I'm going to make this all organic b/c if I want to eat pesticides then I will just go to the store to buy my produce.

Andrew finally has a sprout in his cup. I can't wait for them to turn into sunflowers so they can see what we are doing. I am so excited for them to help with the flowers and veggies. Andrew was raking the dirt today and kept saying "These are my plants. We are working so hard." He helped daddy all day long. He ran through the house to get from the front to the back when David was hauling the mulch. He wouldn't walk with David b/c of the dogs. He likes them but not that much. He raced David to see who get out front first and then out back. They had a great day. I think Andrew's favorite part was when we went to the nursery and the tractor dropped the mulch in the bed of the truck.

Well, tomorrow is my incredibly busy day but hopefully I can post sometime on Monday. Hope everyone has a great Sunday and Monday. love ya

Fantastic Friday

Today was a great day. The kids and I went to Target to get a birthday present for a party for Andrew's friend on Sunday. We picked up a few other things as well. It's almost impossible for me to walk into Target and get exactly what I went for. Then we went to the dollar store. I promised them we would so they could get butterfly catchers. We've had a lot of butterflies going through our yard and Andrew has been chasing them so our neighbor Stephanie suggested a butterfly net. She said she saw them at the dollar store so off we went on our adventure. I didn't make them sit in a cart so they touched almost everything, even the breakables. I was a little scared but at least everything is a dollar. If it breaks you buy it isn't as scary in the dollar store. Hehehe! Anyway, they were really good. No meltdowns. We got our butterfly nets...a pink one and a green one. You can guess who picked which color. We also bought another slinky...Andrew has one and they fight over it all the time. I just love the dollar store. I don't go nearly often enough. Mainly b/c I don't want to go to so many different stores with the kids. One is usually enough. It was a good day. They took late naps which means a late night but oh well. I tried to take a nap but the dogs woke me up again. So I got up and folded laundry and watched Grey's Anatomy. Well, this weekend will be super busy but hopefully I can post tomorrow. We are going to church tomorrow night b/c I am working all 3 services on Sunday. We also have a birthday party Sunday and I have to finish shopping for Grace's party so I won't be around all day. Then on Monday morning I have a training to attend for the church. I am actually going to do the childcare now instead of sit in on the training. At least that's what they told me on Thursday. It should be an interesting weekend. Have a good one and hopefully tomorrow I will have pictures of the completed garden for you.

Oh and I changed the settings to leave a comment. If you want to leave a comment you no longer have to sign in to do so. Sorry mom for putting you through the trouble. It's fixed. Enjoy! Can't wait to read all the comments!

Thursday pictures

I posted earlier and now I'm adding pictures. Make sure to read Thursday's post as well.

Playing outside on Wednesday.
Grace pointing to the little sprout in her cup. This is where the kids planted sunflowers.

Grace with her cup. Couldn't get her to smile.

Hopefully you can see the little sprout. We are so excited to have life in our cups. The only one we are waiting for is Andrew's to show. What an amazing process and lesson for the kids.

Tired Thursday

Today is a tired day. At least for me. I had bible study this morning and have been tired all day. I don't feel that great. At least the kids are being good. On the way home from church I got the kids a cheeseburger at Wendy's. That is Andrew's favorite place to go. He cries if we have to go to McDonald's instead. Anyway, I gave Grace half of hers and she ate it really fast and wanted the rest. She finished it and when Andrew said he was done and asked me to take the rest, she reached out and said something in her own language and wanted the rest of his. He ate about 3/4 of it. So I gave it to her and she ate about 1/2 of what he had left. I guess she was really really hungry.

When we got home they got to have orange soda which is something they never get. They sat at the table and drank it. They were so good about it. Then we all went and laid down for naps. The kids took good naps but I couldn't sleep b/c the dogs kept barking at some kids in the yard behind ours that were doing something right by the fence. I ended up working on 2 layouts for my scrapbook. It was nice to get something done but now I am soooo tired. I hope the rest of you have more energy than I do.

Next Thursday is Grace's first Mommy and Me class. I used to take Andrew but stopped when he turned 3 because he was too old. I didn't take Grace because of going to bible study but now that it's almost over I'm going to start taking her. I might miss bible study next week to take her since it is the first day. Next week will be a busy week getting ready for Grace's party. I still have to do all the shopping. Andrew wants to get her a purse with polka dots. He came up with it on his own. I told him we should get her a dump truck so she can have her own. She is always taking his and they fight over it constantly. He was very excited about getting her a dump truck. Definitely not girly but I will get something girly to go with it. I can't believe my baby is going to be 2. It makes me really sad b/c she is growing up so fast. Well, that's all for today. The kids need my attention for a while. love ya all

Wednesday

Today was a nice day outside so we went out and played. Andrew was pulling Grace in the wagon, so cute. She was laughing and he was running back down the driveway with her. After a while our neighbor Nicholas came out to play. Before Nicholas and his mom came over, I sorted all my pictures that I have to scrapbook. Now it will be much easier to get them done and keep them in order.

Grace has been talking a lot more. She started saying bubbles today for her daddy. I'm glad she's finally trying to talk. I'm sure it won't be long and she'll be talking all day long. Tomorrow I have bible study so it makes for a crazy day since we are gone all morning and have naps as soon as we get home. Hopefully we can get outside and play in the afternoon. Well, I don't have much to talk about today. I'm just really tired and anxious to get to bed. Hope you all have a wonderful night and day tomorrow.

Catching up

Well, I'm going to try and get caught up from yesterday since I only wrote about the morning. Monday was a good day. Papa Wayne came over for dinner and from the minute he walked in the door Grace was on his lap. She even sat there through most of dinner. I'm always afraid that it will bug people when she does that but she is Grandpa's little girl so I don't think he will complain. She always has to be close to him when he is around.

Today we went to the library. It was the alphabet jamboree. We have gone through every letter of the alphabet and now we are moving onto other things. Ms. Robin read "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" and had the kids raise their hands to put a letter on the coconut tree. Andrew raised his had patiently at first but they started getting his feelings hurt and was ready to cry. Thankfully she called on him quickly after so we didn't have tears. I think she knows how sensitive he is but also can't have a favorite. He's rather likable though. Anyway, Grace caught on and raised her hand. Actually for a while she had both hands up. Finally, Ms. Robin called on her also. It was so cute to see her with her hand up.

Today I had a huge accomplishment in my scrapbooking. I completed Andrew's album of his first year. Yes, I am definitely behind so this is huge. I had to glue all the pages into an album instead of just sliding them down into protective sleeves. I had started in a Creative Memories album and had to finish it so it took forever. It had 42 pages front and back so technically 84. Yes, that is a lot of layouts. It included ultrasounds, baby showers, my pregnancy and then all of him. Now, hopefully I can move along more quickly. A few months ago I decided to make pages of the present along with getting caught up. It's hard to always be in the past. Anyway, I am very proud that it's done. There are a few things I need to add but those can wait. I need to get moving on the rest.

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday. I have working to get Grace's party in order. For some reason I am very laid back and not getting everything done as quickly. I'm trying to teach her to hold up 2 fingers but it's hard for little hands to do. I'll be back tomorrow.

It's been a good Monday so far. The kids have been playing together really well. They played house first thing this morning, even before they ate breakfast. They had their baby dolls and we wrapped them in blankets and rocked them to sleep and held them when they cried. Then they cooked in their kitchen. Andrew was so cute. He was so gentle with his baby, even holding his head. Of course Grace was a typical 2 year old and kept dropping her baby. The whole playtime was soooo cute! After breakfast I was doing laundry and the kids were in Andrew's room playing. I was kind of scared to see what kind of mess they were making but when I went to check they were on his bed playing pirates. His bed was their pirate ship and they had foam swords to fight with. They have been getting along so well today. Now we are watching "Jonah" the Veggie tales movie. Andrew said he didn't want to watch it but he hasn't taken his eyes off of it.

Yesterday was really cold and windy here. It also rained a little. We went to church in the morning. Andrew only had 3 kids in his class which was really great b/c he got a lot of attention. Usually he has about 10-12 kids in his class. Grace will move to a new class when she turns 2 and will actually have to go to a whole new area. I'm really sad about that but she will have more curriculum in her new class and a craft every week...usually coloring or painting. I went to the grocery store and then just hung out on the couch until I had to work last night. I had 13 babies in my class last night. I had 2 helpers in my room at all times and 1 more in the hallway pushing the ones that were crying. It has been crazy the last 2 weeks but wonderful b/c that means we are getting more people in church.

Well, I guess that's all for now. I'm charging the batteries for my camera so I can take some new pictures of the kids to put on here. Have a blessed day!

Saturday

We went and bought fruits and vegetables to plant in our garden. The kids and I also planted sunflower seeds. I bought seed for kids that are small sunflowers instead of those enormous tree looking flowers. They had fun doing it but when I walked away, Grace took a scoop of dirt out with the shovel so I'm not sure if the seeds are still there. Oh well. I let them each plant 2 seeds in a cup also. We'll move them outside after they start to grow. Andrew was walking around holding his cup up to the sun and said look mommy that dirt moved. I think it's growing. So cute!

We've been cleaning out the garage and totally neglected the house today. This girl came by and wanted to shampoo our carpet for free. The catch was that we had to do the whole kirby presentation. I told her I ABSOLUTELY WAS NOT going to buy a vacuum from them. Oh, that's ok we just want to clean your carpet and blah blah blah. She would not give up so I finally gave in. I need my carpet cleaned anyway and Grace's party is coming up in 2 weeks. So now I have clean carpet. I felt bad for the guy b/c he had to vacuum and shampoo our carpet for nothing. Oh well. David felt bad and gave him $5 and told him to go get dinner. He's technically not allowed to take it but oh well. I didn't want to do the whole thing anyway. I can tell you that I will definitely buy a really nice vacuum when I go back to work and can afford it. Man, my house is dirty. Have you ever had one of those presentations done? Embarrassing!

I'm excited to get working on my garden. I hope I can keep up with it. I also want to learn how to can some of my vegetables and maybe even make preserves and jam with some of my fruits. That would be really great to have veggies from my own garden to use and not buy stuff at the store all winter. We'll see. Maybe canning will have to come later. I should probably just get the hang of this gardening thing first.

Well, we are off to take baths. The kids are super dirty from being outside playing all day. I have to go take care of washing Grace's hair b/c it is so full of tangles and well, David is just a guy and he doesn't always get all the soap out. Have a great night and Sunday!

Scrapbook pages

Here are 2 of the pages I made last night on my girls night out to the scrapbook store. I completed few more layouts but thought I would show these. David met me at the store to get the kids and they hung out in the parking lot just playing in the truck. He is so patient about that. On Sundays when I leave for work they are usually in the Escape with the doors open pretending it is an airplane. I guess they went to Lowe's after to look at all the plants. David is going to make me a planter so I can grown tomatoes. I don't really need anything fancy but when we went to Washington, he liked the way Grandma's were planted in a box. Well, I guess that's all for now. Have a great day!

Great day

We've had a great day. Grace had a few fits about getting dressed this morning but I guess she is trying to find who she is. We were outside by 9:30 which is incredible for us. It's usually 11 before we get out and by then it is getting breezy and almost lunch time. Our neighbors came over to play. The kids played in a tent out front and rode their toys. Nicholas(neighbor) has a jeep that my kids love to play in and we are thankful that he likes to share. I've been cleaning out the garage and getting rid of a lot of stuff that just sits and collects dust. I'm giving stuff away on freecycle.org so that other people can use the items that we don't. Well, I really don't have much to report for today. Grace is taking a nap so I'm off to take a shower and put Andrew down to watch some TV for quiet time. He still has a tummy ache (since Tuesday morning) so he needs to rest and hopefully get better. Mommy is getting a well deserved break tonight. I'm going to scrapbook with a friend at the local scrapbook store. It will be nice just to get away and be around other adults. Hope you all have a wonderful day. I'll be back tomorrow.

Rare experience and amazing experience

Well, I've had a bad week. The kids have been throwing tantrums. Grace has been the worst. If this is her then I have a rough 15 years ahead of me which is a little depressing. Anyway, she was up until almost 2 this morning. David stayed up with her until about 1am and then I got up b/c I heard her crying. We were lying on the couch together and I could tell she was really tired so I took her in her room. She was crying and pointing to the rocking chair so I sat down to rock her. Grace has not been one to rock to sleep unlike Andrew. We actually broke the rocking chair with him and bought a new one. So I had the rare but wonderful experience of rocking her to sleep in the middle of the night. I was exhausted and would have much rather been in bed but she looked so angelic sleeping in my arms. I held her for a while thanking God for this rare experience before I put her down for the night.

She got up at 8 am. Only6 hours of sleep and you could tell. She was screaming constantly and throwing herself down and just acting plain awful. Andrew decided to join in and I was losing my patience and fast. I ended up locking myself in my room to get away from the screaming for a few minutes and called my mom who proceeded to tell me that she had been there before with me and blah blah blah. Not sure when she will figure out the appropriate times to bring that up but whatever. In the middle of my meltdown isn't exactly a great time. So I was pretty down thinking that I can never handle having anymore kids and I was really mad at the ones that I do have b/c they were being so terrible. Basically I wasn't seeing anything good in my life. Well that all changed at the post office. Yes, I went in the middle of Grace's meltdown (and mine). I had to mail her invitations today. Well, I get there and there is a man talking to us and Grace is still fussing and wanting what her brother has in his arms. Anyway, we start talking about kids and somehow we get to the fact that we didn't get a lot of sleep last night(with a smile on my face b/c I truly wasn't looking for sympathy) so I'm sorry if she is bothering everyone but I just HAD to get this errand done. Then the not to nice lady behind the counter tells me it is 83 cents to mail these invites. Yes, I said 83 cents each. She said if I would have turned the envelopes the other way and addressed them it would have been regular postage. So I told her I would go home and redo it. Just give me a book of stamps. Mind you, I handmade each envelope b/c the invites wouldn't fit in any that I could buy. The man must have heard the desperation in my voice b/c he threw down 10 dollars and said this is what a grandfather does and he was gone. I think I said thank you and you don't have to but he was gone so fast. That 10 dollars covered all the envelopes I had to send. I started crying b/c I was amazed at what this man did for me. I'm telling you that I KNOW God sent him there to show me good in this world b/c I wasn't seeing it on my own. Isn't it amazing what our God does for us! I was supposed to be at bible study today but was too exhausted to get up and overslept. I don't think I was supposed to go...I believe that I was supposed to be there to receive that kindness and be able to teach my kids about God's kindness right there at the Post Office. Hopefully the not so nice lady behind the counter heard some of my lesson. I hope you all have a blessed and amazing day. Look for the little things that God does for you and around you today. He's everywhere, you just have to look and recognize that it is Him!

Pics from St. Patrick's Day

Here are the pics I took yesterday (Tuesday) in their green shirts. It's a little goofy but my camera batteries were dead so this is all I could get. The others are from the library when they were making their craft. I have to go because Grace is screaming in her bed. I'll update more tomorrow.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Hey Everybody! Everything is green today. We went to the library and read stories about St. Patrick's Day and made a wreath with green clovers and a leprechaun. Andrew has been complaining about a tummy ache all day so he is a little "green" as well. We all wore green shirts. I took pics of the kids but probably won't get them online until tomorrow. Tonight is my night to work at the church. I will leave as soon as David gets home so I don't usually have time to download pictures.

Grace must not feel that great either. Last night she didn't go to bed until about 10. Of course Papa Wayne was here and she was up later than usual. Today has been bad with tantrums. She kept throwing herself down on the kitchen floor barely missing her head. Can't figure out what she was upset about. So, either she doesn't feel well and everything is escalated or this is just a new phase. Thankfully she hasn't thrown a tantrum in public yet. I'm sure it will happen.

Just thought I would get something on here while they are napping b/c I don't what it will be like when they wake up. Hope you all have a green day. Oh, here's a pinch for those of you not wearing green!!! :)

Terrific Two's

Some of you may call it the Terrible Two's but I prefer to call it the Terrific Two's because it makes it sound more positive. It started first thing this morning. Grace wanted the book that Andrew had so she went over and threw her arms around him and knocked him down at which point she just started pounding him. If they weren't fighting today it meant that Grace was asleep. Made for a crazy day. 3 weeks away from her 2nd birthday (can you believe it?) and it's going to be a fun stage. Papa Wayne came over tonight and ate dinner with us. Grace LOVES her Papa. She was sitting with her daddy and then climbed up on Papa's lap. She is always close to him when he comes over. I think it is so cute. They were watching Baby Einstein's Baby MacDonald. Tomorrow we are going to the library. They are having a St. Patrick's Day celebration for story hour. I have green shirts for the kids to wear. Don't forget your green on Tuesday.

Today was a beautiful day. It was about 75 and no wind. We played outside for a while. Grace is really testing me. She knows the boundary on the driveway but she stood on the crack between the driveway and the blacktop (the small part of the driveway before the street). I told her to get back on the driveway and she would put one foot on it. She knew exactly what she was doing. She did this for about 5 minutes back and forth just checking to see if I would give in. I finally just took her by the hand and moved her. I guess I could have done that from the beginning but she likes to stand at the top of the driveway and throw her ball down and then chase it. I just wanted her to understand.

Well, have a great day! I think that's all that happened. Not much to say when you break up fights all day. Love ya!

Party Pics

If you want to see all of the pictures...head over to my picasa site and check out the whole set of pics from the party. www.picasaweb.google.com/mommy2kiddies

Anytime you want to look at my pics just click on this page where it says "Click here to see my picasa pics." It's on the left hand side right under the slideshow. Hope you have a great day. I will update you later for Monday.

Sarah's Birthday party

Today was cousin Sarah's birthday party. We went down to a place called "Pump it Up." It was really cool. It was a private party so we got to have each room to ourselves for about 40 minutes each. It was a place where kids (and adults) have tons of fun playing in bouncers. I think the adults had more fun than the kids.

Andrew had a blast jumping and going through the obstacle course. Grace had fun climbing up the steps to the big slide and going down. She wasn't scared at all and if we couldn't find her we would look over to the big slide and there she was. What an awesome little girl. I'll put some pictures up tomorrow. Tonight I am exhausted. We had a very long day.

Before we left for the party, Grace and I went to Costco and the grocery store. She was awesome. I usually dread taking her places like that because she usually doesn't sit in the cart but today she did. The only problem was at the grocery store because she wanted to hold the apples, not just in the bag but in a pile on her lap. Have you tried stacking apples on your lap lately? She dropped them numerous times throughout the store so right before we checked out we went back and grabbed another bag of apples to take home that we could actually eat. Then at the checkout of course she wanted out and I let her. She immediately grabbed the only thing at eye level....candy. I actually got her to put it back and no tears. Amazing! I very rarely give in to the whole candy thing...ask Heather, she's been with me numerous times. I usually let them get something at JoAnn's when I go buy scrapbook stuff. Not every time but sometimes b/c they are usually really good in there and it is definitely not a kid's store so I reward them. Anyway, hope you all had a wonderful Saturday. Check back for some pictures.

Fabulous Friday

Well, we had an awesome day today. Bright, sunny, warm, just overall fabulous. The kids had a great time playing outside and I got a few pics of them having fun.

Here the kids are (obviously) showing me their belly buttons which they call a 'bebo.' They learned in a book that Grace got from Grannylou and the name stuck. Now Andrew will say "Hey, look at my bebo!"

The kids were taking turns hitting the bat and Grace (in her almost 2 year old mind) decided to bring the tball stand up to the bench on our front porch and hit the ball from there. It didn't really work but she sure tried. Andrew just put up with it.

It's a plane! They always stop what they are doing when they hear a plane and have to find it.

Andrew hitting the ball. Man, when he turns 5 and can join tball he's going to be awesome. He hits the ball hard.Sitting in the dump truck doesn't work too well. She kept falling out.

We had fun, kids had naps and I even had dinner on the table when David got home. Oh, and even the counter by the phone cleaned off. I would call that a good day!

My Blessings

Well, I've written about my 2 blessings but haven't really mentioned another wonderful blessing in my life and that is my husband, David. He truly is even if I fail to always recognize that. He is a wonderful father as well. He comes home every night and plays with the kids from the minute he walks in the door until they go to bed. Grace even has to sit on David's lap when we eat dinner because she can't get close enough to him in her chair. On the weekends they do everything together. I'm not big on playing outside but David gets the kids out there and they play baseball, put the tent in the front yard, football, go for walks, even golf. It amazes me to see how much he loves his kids and enjoys playing with them. He is so devoted and selfless when it comes to his family.

He is also the reason we go to church. I knew I belonged in church and wanted to find one but just never did. He began talking about going to church and wanting to get the kids in one and so we went. We didn't stay at the first church we went to but found a wonderful church that we attend now. I guess if it wasn't for him expressing interest we may not have gone. I didn't want to find a church alone. For any of you that truly know me, I'm sure you know that my anxiety would have gotten the best of me and I probably wouldn't have ever made it in the door of any church. He is very good at dealing with all of my anxiety even if he doesn't really understand it.

I have an awesome family and am truly blessed to have David and each one of my kids.

Haircuts and more

Well, it's been a long day and when I say long, I mean it. Grace woke up around 2 am this morning. It was actually before but we didn't get her out of bed until 2. So mommy has been up that long as well. Never have figured out what was wrong but she is still having trouble sleeping. Right now she is in there crying b/c she doesn't want to go to bed. Andrew and I went for haircuts today and Andrew was awesome. I included some pics here for you to see. I don't think mine is short enough but we'll see after I fix it myself.

Mommy and Andrew after haircuts.

Andrew, David Goodman, and Grace playing "corn dogs." We haven't figured it out yet but they rolled themselves up and said they were corn dogs. Kids and their imaginations. We are so thankful they can make up games and have imaginations. So many kids don't anymore with all the video games.

Grace got to stay with Auntie Heather and from what I hear made herself quite comfortable. She wouldn't even tell me bye because she was playing with all the toys. I'm so glad she is fine when we leave her. We always drop them off at church but rarely leave them with other people but I am so thankful they are ok when we do leave them.

Well, it's been a long day and this momma is tired. I finished my bible study, made my salad to take to church in the morning and am going to bed. I'll be back tomorrow!

Tuesday

Here is the picture from yesterday when the kids were playing with the doodle pro. They decided to trace feet when they were done with their hands.

Today was a typical Tuesday. We went to the library for story hour. Today was the letter Z. The kids made a zebra puppet and learned 2 rhymes for the letter z. Of course we got new books for daddy to read this week.

Tonight (like in 5 minutes) I will be leaving to go work in the nursery at church. Tonight is the Jr. high program and we watch the kids for the leaders. It's hard to leave this late in the day but I'm blessed to have the opportunity.

Well, overall we had a good day. We had meltdowns but not as many as yesterday so that is something to be thankful for. Hope you all have a wonderful evening and tomorrow. love you

Monday..Need I say more?

Well, it started out like a normal day. The kids were sitting down to eat breakfast and I was walking their bowls over to the table when I noticed water by the laundry room door. I didn't freak out immediately(even though the washer was filling up) b/c my first reaction was that the kids had spilled a cup of water. That happens a lot so I looked around quickly for the cup and realized that it wasn't from a cup b/c more was coming under the door and fast. I grabbed towels to stop it from coming into the kitchen and quickly lifted the lid to the washer to stop it and called my father-in-law to the rescue. Well, he didn't answer so then I freaked out. My neighbor Bill came over and we came to the conclusion that it was just a pillow that pushed the water out. Quite a silly mistake on my part. There was a lot of water and had to empty my shelves b/c water was behind and under them as well. The shelves are where I store all of my pantry items so that wasn't fun. That's just like a Monday morning!

The kids were great during the whole process but when it was all over they needed mommy and had major meltdowns when I was still cleaning and needed to get it done. They have fought a lot today over the doodle pro. You know those magnetic boards they draw on. Don't tell Grace but she is getting one for her birthday from Andrew...of course then they will probably fight over wanting the same one.

A little while ago, Grace was wanting fruit snacks which we don't have anymore of. She calls them "na". So cute, anyway she was really upset and kept pointing at the cabinet so I opened each door to prove that we didn't have any. Well, we didn't have any fruit snacks but in the cabinet she was pointing at we do have gummy vitamins. What a smart little girl. After I gave her one she was fine.

As I type the kids are playing with the doodle pro really well. Andrew is tracing Grace's hand. He just traced her hand and said "Perfect!" He can be such a great brother, when he wants to. I will try to post a pic of them playing with the doodle pro. Bye for now! Love and miss everyone!

Abraham's Faith

Well, today at church Pastor Kurt was talking about Faith in God. He used Abraham as an example with promises He made to Abraham and the obstacles that Abraham had to overcome. The one that really stuck out (always has but today I was reminded) was when Abraham was sent to sacrifice Isaac...the son that God said he would use to bless everyone..even us today.

I want to have Abraham's faith. He had such faith in God that he took Isaac to sacrifice him. He even had Isaac on the altar and the knife raised when the angel of the Lord called out to him and told him that because he was willing to sacrifice his son, his only son that he should not do anything. Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by his horns and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead. Can you imagine standing over your only son, the one God said would bless many, and preparing to sacrifice him? That is amazing faith. It really struck me today and made me ask myself, "Do I have that kind of faith in God?" How many of us do? Do I have such a faith in God that I would consider sacrificing my own child? After reading this, I know that I have to find and have Abraham's faith. If you want to read the story just to read again or if you don't know the story you can read Genesis 22.

Just my thoughts from this mornings message. It was an awesome morning. We had numerous baptisms just at our service. I think they said 25 for the weekend. That's awesome!

Oh, Andrew gave his first offering today. He took the money out of his piggy bank. Of course I wanted to be there to see but I had to let him go on his own. I'm having a hard time with this growing up thing. I came back to add on my post because I just read the Motivations for Moms (left hand side of page, pink box) and it talks about teaching your child to tithe. Isn't God amazing? I had Andrew give money from his piggy bank just this morning before I had even read the box. He always reassures us if we just look and listen.

Have a blessed day!

Long day...exhausted

Well, it's been a long day and I'm exhausted. We went to a birthday party this afternoon and the kids had a lot of fun. Andrew hit the pinata and got upset when he didn't break it. I guess he thought he would be the one to actually break it...just a few tears and then he got over it. Both kids fell asleep on the way home around 6:30 and we put them to bed when we got here. Hopefully they will sleep all night. I know I plan to sleep through the night....David can get up with the kids if one of them wakes up.

Well, I'm signing off for tonight! Don't forget to spring forward tonight(set your clocks ahead)!

Adorable

Aren't they adorable. They were brushing their teeth and stopped to have their picture taken. There were quite a few cute ones. I love Grace with her pig tails. She looks so much older.

Here they were watching Blues Clues right before bed. Just saying good night and will try to update tomorrow evening. Love you all!

A long day

So, Heather and I have been online and on the phone most of the day getting our pages going. Our poor kids wonder what's going on.

Andrew and I are also gluing a Santa together. Yes, it's March and we are making a Santa. He really should have had a nap but it's too late. Target and the grocery store should be fun. I better get those done today or David will hang me for only getting this blog done today. Though I have to say it looks pretty good for my first time.

I did give the kids a bath earlier and had to pull the drain in the bathroom floor because they had so much water out of the bathtub. Actually I just had to mop up A LOT!!!! They decided to use the back of the bathtub as a slide. You would think that Grace would figure out after falling off the side of the tub and hitting the toilet that just maybe this isn't such a good idea but no, she went after it again and this time slipped and hit her head on the edge. I grabbed a towel and picked her up but I'm not sure which she was more mad about, hitting her head or me taking her out of the tub.

Well, now we have glue everywhere and need to get ready for when Grace wakes up so we can run our errands. Have a great Friday! God Bless You!

Are You Kidding Me?

Well, I'm back. Just thought I would write about what we did yesterday. The day started by going to SMILES (mommy's bible study). Andrew loves going because he gets to go to music and yesterday he said they did the "Hokey Pokey." So...when Daddy got home last night we were singing and dancing to the Hokey Pokey and Grace of course joined in and it was the cutest thing ever. When we put our leg in she walked over to the fridge and hung on so she could do it. She surprises me everyday with the things she does. I think it's b/c she can't talk but she can do so much.

Andrew also came up with something new to say..I think he learned it from his mommy. I was telling him to do something and he obviously didn't want to and he looked at me and said "Are you kidding me?" Well, I can hear a few of you laughing and of course I laughed inside and said "Absolutely not!" Yes, I am guilty of saying that quite often. It's better than other things I could be saying but not exactly something I want him to say to other people...you know at church or kids at the library. I try to remember that I am training him....so I have to be on my best behavior...not always easy.

Well, that's about all the cute stuff I can think of. We didn't do much except go to SMILES and then come home and play with the Goodmans. Oh, yeah, Andrew did say something last night about Hannah, the Goodman. So funny. We always call them The Goodmans so I guess he thinks that is their name. He said that Hannah lives with Auntie Heather, the Goodman. Hehe! Bye for now!

First Blog Post

Well, here I am. My first blog post. I never thought I would do this but I'm doing it for all of you out of state especially. Hope you enjoy what you find in days to come. I now have to figure out how to set it all up....check back to see if I figured it out. Love ya...bye for now!