Bliss & That

Not Still Life

2011-10-27T14:49:00.001-04:00

please

excuse

the

absence

...

we've

been

living

this

masterpiece

that

The

Artist

created

just

for

...

anyways

you

all

know

now

how

fickle

with

sharing

here

We're Expecting...

2011-09-07T12:35:00.001-04:00

{Two}

new additions to our Brood...
;)

Homeschool 2011~2012

2011-08-18T23:23:00.003-04:00

Most of you know that my journey as a homeschooling Mama started last year, and while there were the normal newbie snags {mainly my time management & gusto!}, I'm so excited to say that we've started back up this past Monday with a fresh year! Even though I may not technically be a "brand-newbie" anymore, I sure feel like it. There's a few changes here at home that will make this year more challenging than the last to find "quiet, uninterrupted" time {or heck, just plain time!} for lessons.

Firstly ::: I'm not pointing fingers, but a certain 10-month-old, ahem, has decided to enter toddlerhood early. Full-on walking {yes, walking!}, destructing, attention-pleading... It's for this reason that the start of our school day is on hold until 9:30ish, otherwise known as morning nap time. :) Morning lessons finish shortly before lunch, and afternoon lessons pick up around 1:30-2ish, otherwise known as afternoon nap time. :)

Secondly ::: Again, not pointing fingers, but we do have a crazy-cute blond preschooler here still. While there is an afternoon nap break most days from the random "ahoy, mateys" and new-three-year-old meltdowns, morning lessons are a bit boisterous at times. {Also, I will proclaim this 'til my grave, but three is sooo much harder than two. Anyone concur?} But really, Brigham's great for the most part and does like to practice on the dry-erase boards. :)

Truly, I do love my little boys being around and learning from the get-go with the "big kids", and if buckets full of extra patience & prayer is what it takes to keep my kiddos at home learning with me, bring it!

Here are my two school-aged learners and what we will be using for curriculum this year.

Bella {7 yrs} :::

My Father's World First Grade

Ultimately, I decided to go with MFW First instead of Adventures in MFW. I didn't want Adventures to get too hard too quickly, even if Bella is a great reader. I'm sure that all there is to do in First Grade will keep us busy and learning enough, as it looks pretty "beefy" so far. Also, she's a young 7-year-old {less than a month ago}, and we'd rather not push too much. My Father's World First Grade deluxe package also includes the following that we will be incorporating daily and/or weekly with the daily lessons in math, reading/phonics, & Bible.

Science using Things Outdoors, Science with Water, & Science with Plants.
Art using Drawing with Children, Come Look with Me: Enjoying Art with Children, and Come Look with Me: Exploring Landscape Art with Children
Music by introducing the orchestra using classical CDs that are included with MFW curricula

Lincoln {5 yrs} :::

My Father's World from A to Z Kindergarten

Lincoln is very excited to be doing school work of his own this year, and I'm pretty excited that I'll be able to teach him MFW from A to Z after just finishing it up with Bella last year. In a way it will be tough to do this program all over again so soon, but I have so much new material with Bella that it will be nice to have something I'm completely comfortable with. Lincoln's pace will also be different than his sister. I am anxious to see everything *click* for him over this year.

We still have some kinks to work out, and I'm sure there will be some speed bumps {or sinkholes!} along this long road ahead this year, but we feel so blessed to be home again learning. Even with all the stop-and-go traffic of homeschooling a 1st grader and kindergartner amidst a toddler and preschooler... ;)

Check...

2011-08-04T14:25:00.000-04:00

After we found out that we would have a big, private backyard here in North Carolina following our tiny sub-divided yard in Texas, one of the things I looked forward to the most was putting up a line for the clothes. Yes, I knew it would take more time and effort {we hung clothes growing up}, but I wanted to give it a go in an attempt to move towards a more simple lifestyle.

I'm so glad that I made it a priority, as we have been hanging the wash for a couple of weeks now. I look forward to my twice-daily jaunts to the line, for there I can slow down and enjoy the fresh air, chirping birds, and towering pines surrounding me. {See the tall, lanky pines in the picture?} I'm always so blessed and rewarded when we take the extra time and make an effort towards a slower lifestyle.

When Motherhood Parallels Crimefighting

2011-08-02T12:03:00.005-04:00

He comes quickly, with the impending *slap, thud, slap, thud* of swirling arms and legs barreling closer. Lip bit in concentration, the mischievous glow of his eyes lock and load onto his next target.

Nothing is safe in his path. Every room has a "hot spot". Classic pots and pans and spice cabinets in the kitchen, mess of TV cords and cable box in the family room, stairs in the hallway, crinkly papers and Daddy's deer mount in the office... The list goes on and on. "Moooommmeeee! The baby's in the trash... again! Ewww, he's eating an eggshell! What's that stuff on his hands!?" {this morning's sausage gravy, FYI}

He scales along the edges of the couch and kitchen cabinets with grace and ease. New developments have him turning to run away while belly laughing and squealing, forgetting that his legs carrying his petite 18-pound frame aren't quite on the same page as his scheming head. Slower, more deliberate steps have him getting further.

The crib, stroller and I? Yeah, we're like *this*. The crib and I have forged a deal during nap times. {Though the crib is still holding out for higher pay during the night hours.} The stroller answers the call of duty as I hang laundry on the line. Sweet deliverance.

{Surveillance of The Offender: 10 months}

Emerging out of the blue and in a new place...

2011-07-16T13:06:00.008-04:00

Well, that was a very, very big lead-up to this post. What, it's been like 6 months since I've last wrote anything on here!? I'm not even sure if I remember how to post. I'm not even sure if any of you remember me or are still out there waiting for the monotonous cricket chirps to burst into my infamous ramblings. Either way, I've missed you all and have decided to spend a part of my Saturday and the baby's naptime catching up on here.

We live in North Carolina now. There. I said it and just got it out of the way, ha! Remember that I told you we were moving on to our new state in June for Mark's Phase II schooling? Think waaay back. Well, we moved cross-country and are here now. We like it and so far so good. There's lots of sand, lots of pine trees, and lots of lizards where we are. It's quiet and secluded, and I can walk around outside in my pajamas 'til my heart's content without anybody looking at me funny. We can hear the bugs and birds chirp and my hubby has named the tree frogs that frequent our front porch at night. The children ride their bikes and scooters up and down the looong drive that leads to our stone road that leads to the dirt road. This is so much more my style. Our style. Don't get me wrong, living in a subdivision has its good points {a pool!}, but for us, it's just not our style. Here on our chunk of land in North Carolina, the only things missing are chickens and a clothes line. {Although I'm still working on that.} Oh, and my hubby for some many extra hours of the week... It's okay, though, as he's finally doing what he's been waiting for. He's started in the OR {or "operating room" for those of us that don't live at a hospital or have a spouse that does} practicing all of his anesthesia know-how. As much as we loved Mark's time off while moving and settling in and having him home all the time, we must admit that it's always nice to get into a routine again. There's still a lot of tweaking of the schedule that needs done on my end {especially with school starting up again next month!}, but I think we'll settle in nicely for these next 18 months.

So, that's where we are now on this adventure as a military family. Now, how in the world have you all been?! Tell me what's new with you and your adventures...

xoxo

Thoughts From This Day

2011-01-29T12:00:00.003-05:00

I have many random bits {swirling} in my ponytailed head today. Here are just a few.
...

Is there anything cuter than a two-year-old running around in underpants? If it's a two-year-old in boxer briefs, you bet! :)
...

I almost made it through my day out with the kids without somebody telling me that I "have my hands full". {The kids were behaving beautifully at the time also...} Does having four children automatically qualify me for having full hands? I honestly feel that four {for us} is no harder than three was. Moms of "many", any thoughts?
...

I adore going to the library with my kiddos. There's just something about them getting so excited about finding the perfect book for the week's school lesson or read-aloud time that makes me feel so proud inside. I always think how wonderful it would be to be able to keep all the {20-30} new library books we check out each time. Just think how our at-home library would grow! I am thankful for the books we do have, though. What a blessing!
...

I feel so "caught-up" and accomplished at home if my laundry is {mostly} done, the kitchen is clean, and the playroom is tidy with everything in its place. If one of those three things is off, so am I.
...

How is it that I feel I have more patience lately? Does patience multiply {like love} with each new baby? In a way, it doesn't make sense to me. Yet in a way, it makes perfect sense.
...

My wonderful, cute bloggy friend Lenae is so, so close to meeting her fourth little blessing. {and first girl!} She's having an online baby shower this weekend. How wonderful the blogging community can be, huh!? For goodness sakes, you can not only have a good friend {whom I've never even met} through blogging, but a baby shower too!?
...

We've found out where we'll be moving to next for Mark's Phase II residency! Can you believe that we only have 4 1/2 months left in Texas!? Surreal. Any guesses as to what state will soon be our new stomping grounds? {Those that know, no cheating!}
...

That's it for now. Have a blessed weekend! Oh, and by the way... What's on your mind? :)

Sooo Big!

2011-01-20T15:10:00.006-05:00

Griffin is growing so fast!! It's hard to believe that he'll be {four} months next week. I thought the time to gush and gush about him here was way overdue, so here's an update!

G)rowing bigger... He just hit the 13lb mark over the last few days, having doubled his birth weight now.

R)olling over... Finn loves to roll from back to tummy now as of a couple weeks ago.

I)rresistible smile... I don't think this one got a dimple (other than his chin) from Mama and Daddy, but his smile is just as drool-worthy without!

F)inally a sleeper... After 3 naughty sleepers as babies, we now have a baby that sleeps up to 12hrs straight! Thank you, God!!!

F)ound his talking voice... He's a loud one too!

I)mmersed at birth... Finn was born under water at home and still loves his baths.

N)ever in a bad mood... Seriously, Griffin's such a wonderful, happy baby. What a little {angel} to add to our brood...

I also realize that I never got around to posting about my homebirth. It was amazing in every way, and we wouldn't have changed a thing. I'm still throwing around the idea of writing it out. Anybody interested??

One of Those Days

2011-01-10T22:30:00.010-05:00

Today was one of those days. (Yet NOT one of those days...) It wasn't a bad day by any means, and actually, it was a pretty good day overall. There wasn't too much yelling, or too much drama, or even too much stress. Instead, it was one of those days that really make you think, "Man, this parenting thing really is no joke." I mean, really... I'm tired tonight! Like I've said before, sometimes being a stay-at-home-mommy seems like it merely consists of squashing squabbles over who will win the last yogurt tube, finding that elusive sippy cup, or wiping four hineys of various sizes for the millionth-jillionth time. These are all important in our little world's existance, but not really important, you know? Today, though, we conquered truly important things. Childhood-shaping things...

Potty training began this morning for Brigham. We've been wanting to start for the last month or so, but with Christmas, visitors, and travels, it just wasn't a good month to start. I didn't want to set him up for failure before we even began. In the realm of potty training, that's never good. Today was the day, though! Brigham did a fantastic job, as I knew he would. (When a two-year-old is driven by promises of M&Ms, can there ever really be failure?) Every two minutes this morning, we were crawling to the bathroom. Oddly enough, Briggs chose to crawl to the bathroom every.single.time instead of his usual toddler-like sprints. Maybe he was trying to hold onto his babyhood, but again he just wanted those prized M&Ms. Who knows? What I do know is that I don't care if he rode a mule to the bathroom as long as things went well inside. All-in-all I'm happy with how the first day went, but those who have potty trained before know that one should almost physically train for the million back-and-forth bathroom jaunts and whooping and hollering to follow. It's physical work, People, especially now that I've turned *cough*thirty*cough*. Also, not to forget the other three children to take care of amongst the hoopla... ;)

Moving on to the homeschooling... Bella's been doing great in school, but it's to the point that I'm seriously second-guessing everything that I'm teaching her with our kindergarten curriculum. I've been worried that she's bored and that the lessons are too easy for her now that she's really taken off with reading. (For a brand-newbie of homeschooling, I'm thinking that second-guessing is normal. This just adds to the insecurities, though.) Before I ordered the materials, I considered both the kindergarten and first grade curriculums, but decided on the kindergarten. She's a late-summer birthday and had barely six months of kindergarten before moving last year. After much consideration and reading from veteran homeschoolers, though, I've now decided to speed up her lessons and do two to three lessons a day instead of one. Condensing or skipping some of the activities and speeding up the phonics beef of the lessons will allow us to move onto the first grade studies sooner. I'm excited about this, and so is she. I know it's the right thing to do now. I think. Praise the Lord that we were able to start and complete this new schedule of two lessons today when Brigham was napping. I could barely do school from the edge of the tub in the bathroom where I'd been camped-out for much of the day.

Well, another busy day in the books. Today, though, was full of victories aside from yogurt and sippy cups. I'll take it any day. I love my job...

Now Stop Your Whooping...

2011-01-07T12:56:00.009-05:00

Well, I think it's finally happened... Now don't get too fired-up yet, though. "It" simply refers to the fact that I just may have gotten the blogging bug back. This news is probably not exciting in the least bit for most of you other than my hubby and family members, but that's okay! You see, I couldn't sleep last night and made great use of my time by catching up on some of my old favorite blogs. Surely some of you all reading now were visited! (In other words, y'all here in the south... I think that's the first time I've ever typed or written that, although I've found myself saying it some lately!) I was inspired to pick the virtual quill and ink back up. (I'm thinking I can't use a preposition to end a sentence, and those that know me well know I'm a stickler for proper English...) Anyways, I suddenly miss writing my thoughts down, even if it's nothing important or fancy or pretty or cute or profound. Come to think of it, most of my posts don't routinely fall into those categories, as I leave that all up to you more often than not. It's been way.too.long since I've regularly posted, and since I don't know what to clean in this near over-cluttered house first, I took the easy way out and sat down at the computer. That never happens to any of you, right? I didn't think so. I guess what I'm trying to very long-windedly (totally not a word) say is that you just may be seeing more of me coming up. Maybe. Probably. Hopefully.

P.S. I'm pretty sure that was my worst post ever, but nevertheless I'm hitting publish. Sorry. Furthermore, I used way too many parenthesis. Sorry again.

A {Coy} Hello

2010-12-15T12:04:00.009-05:00

I don't have much to say...

but {desperately} wanted to say "hello"!

We are having tons of fun with our four litte ones...

and trying to survive the {blissful} organized chaos!

Maybe one day soon-ish I'll start squeezing in some more

frequent "hellos" and posts containing more than 25-ish words!

For now, though, you're left with this coy little smile
from our newest little {12 week!} boy...

xoxoxo

Newsflash

2010-09-29T11:09:00.008-04:00

Griffin Silas

September 27,2010

10:34 P.M.

6lb 5oz

20in

New
Love
Of
Our
Lives...

Sweet Surprise

2010-09-21T12:34:00.014-04:00

Coffee

(butter toffee with hazelnut creamer),

my favorite fall-time snack

(candy corn & roasted peanuts),

and a card...

What a great
late-morning

{surprise}

from Bella!
I love you,
sweet girl!

Almost Time...

2010-09-10T16:45:00.009-04:00

Yes, here it is finally... Here's the pregnancy picture that I've been promising for a gazillion years now. The time was right today! A) I wasn't in my PJs when I remembered finally and B) I got half-way decent pics with Bella this time. {No, I'm not usually still presentable for taking pictures for all to see when Mark gets home at night. PJs, remember...}

I was thinking my baby tummy wasn't this big all along, but whoa! The camera adds like 10 lbs, right!? RIGHT!? I just compared myself with this picture again, pregnant with Brigham at 35 weeks, 1 day. {These pictures are today at 35 weeks, 5 days.} Earlier in the week I swore up and down that I was nowhere near that big this time. That was until I saw these pics from today... I measured almost a week-and-a-half small at my last visit with my midwife too. We'll see what she says on Tuesday for my next visit! It's just so hard to believe that my baby bump was so tiny just over four months ago and that he's grown into this now. What a miracle, each and every time.

I still feel great most of the time and have no major complaints. {I don't really count not being able to roll over in bed anymore without strategic planning as a major complaint, only minor...} The baby is head-down, yet not engaged as of last week and still growing and moving quite well. Our midwife will deliver at home anytime past 36 weeks, so it looks like this homebirth might really happen! {Not to mention she starts making weekly home visits this next week! Yippe!}

We are getting so excited to meet this little boy, and I'm daydreaming way.too.much now by speculating how and when it will happen. Isabella prays every night now that Mommy and baby will get through contractions and be safe.

Yes, be safe, Sweet Baby Boy... We can't wait to show you to the world.

First Week of School {My Father's World Creation}

2010-08-30T09:56:00.019-04:00

We're starting our second week of school today, which means that we survived our first week last week! I'd like to think that we didn't only survive, but thrived! :) Since the lessons in kindergarten aren't terribly long or take up half the day, I decided to do our school in the afternoon when Brigham was napping for the first week. This way, I wouldn't have the extra distraction or frustration from wanting to focus on the older two but having to deal with a new-two-year-old's demands. While this worked out well, I found myself wishing some afternoons that I had already completed school in the morning getting right into a routine, instead of looking forward to it all day and not being able to start until early afternoon. I figured I'd do school in the morning this week then, and compare the pros and cons of morning vs. afternoon school. This will truly test my multi-tasking and patience, though, having to keep Brigham happy (and quiet!) for school time. Afterall, I won't always have the luxury of only having a mostly quiet four and six-year-old around for each day of school!

Wanting to make the first day of school special for the kids, we headed to IHOP for breakfast on Monday morning followed by them picking out a new outfit for the day and fall. We enjoyed our morning, strolling around the shops and making our stops, preparing for the big afternoon! When we were ready to start, I still of course had to take the "first day of school" pictures in front of the house! :) There were the initial moans and groans coupled with very sunny skies, but in the end, we found a shady spot and got a couple of good ones...

Once inside it was all smiles and even though I was a bit nervous on how to "start", we were rolling in no time. Each day the lesson took just a bit over an hour, as I served them a "creation snack" along with the lesson. These were easy, fun ideas that I mostly got from the My Father's World message boards. (A huge wealth of information!) We waited until the near-end of the lesson before our last coloring project and song to have snack, as to not disturb the "core" of the lesson.

Day 1: Oreos & milk {God divided the light from darkness}

Day 2: Blue water & marshmallows {God divided the water above & below the sky}

Day 3: Pudding, crushed oreos, & strawberry {God made sea, dry land, & plants}

Day 4: Nachos & lemonade {God made the sun, moon, & stars}

Day 5: Goldfish crackers {God made living creatures in the sea & birds}

{I will also not confirm or deny that anticipating what the creation snack would be ended up being the kids' favorite time of school...}

Bella did a great job with her letters (and numbers) each day, as she already knows them all with their sounds. These first two weeks are definitely review for her, but I came up with a couple of speed games with the alphabet cards to challenge her a bit. This helped her along with not becoming bored during the lesson. As the year goes on, I expect things will pick up for her with more letter blending and reading. She also loved the "This is My Father's World" hymn that we learned, and loves singing along to the laptop music many, many times as we close each lesson. As expected, Lincoln drifted in and out for parts of the lesson. Some days, he was quite interested in the letters and numbers and others not. He did enjoy the crafts, though, coloring and pasting. With him being in preschool still this year and a newer four-year-old, my focus with him will be review of his colors and shapes, while teaching numbers and introducing letters. Of course we will all do a lot of quality reading too, as that's a huge focus of the My Father's World curriculum! :)

Illustrating the Creation Book

Ready to start! {I love this picture, as many of you who know Lincoln knows that he does NOT smile or cooperate for pictues...}

We're really looking forward to this week, the second week of Creation, and even more so to the themed weeks that follow! Of course the kids are already counting down and asking for when their favorite themes are coming up. I feel great that we have our first week done and confident to move on, finding our rhythm and the schedule that fits best for us before the baby is born.

Snippets, Ramblings... Anything!?

2010-08-19T18:20:00.003-04:00

Ahh, blogland, it's been a busy couple of weeks and again there's not much coming from this end in the way of creative thoughts, cute pics, or really... anything! When life gets a bit busier {or even if I just want a break from something!} the blog is always the first thing to go. I guess that's better than most things like the children, hubby, or laundry, though! :)

I've missed chatting with you all and hearing from you here, stopping by your blogs to hang out and comment, and just plain soaking in my bloggy friendships! I'm not sure if any of you noticed I was absent, but oh how I've missed my daily fix of checking in with my friends! :)

Like I said, it's been a bit busier the last weeks or so, but I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things very, very soon! I'm hoping to expand on a few points and goings-on around here, but for now I'm just going to ramble. I like to ramble sometimes, and I think it's long overdue here! :)

~ This little cutie-patootie turned {TWO} this week...

{I can't believe it either! I started this little blog when I was pregnant with him... We had a "Cars" party and tried to spoil him rotten. Not that that doesn't happen on a daily basis around here! Such a cute age...}

~ My parents were here for a week-long visit and we tried to fit in quite a few yummy restaurants and fun outings. I'll miss the extra help and extra food...

~ We'll start school at home this Monday the 23rd! I'm so excited, but feel like I have a lot to get together this weekend still. Hang things on the wall, freak out, pray, order a few more books and supplies, buy more art supplies, freak out again, pray again, trip to the Christian bookstore, look into homeschool groups... I figured out that I just needed to set a date and start or there would always be something left to do, so that's the date we set! I hope to be able to keep up on here with what we're doing every couple of weeks. We have a perfect little dining nook off the kitchen with built-in shelves and our table that we'll be using for our school area and storage.

{Here's a pic from when we moved in... Love the shelving on both sides and the bare wall space to hang and store lots of school stuff!}

~ Mark's schooling is going very well so far, and I've lovingly started calling him a "nerd". Studying advanced-level pharmacology, biochemistry, anatomy & physiology, statistics, and anesthesia research would do that to the best of us, I believe. {Just between you and me, though, I think he sort of likes it...} Classes and exams are really heating up now and in full-swing, but he's doing an amazing job of juggling school with plenty of family time. It's hard to believe, but in a couple of months we'll probably know where we'll be moving on to next for phase II, starting next summer. I'll let you know which state we'll be the newest residents of when we find out!

~ Last, but certainly not least... If you haven't noticed, our newest little boy-blue will be arriving before we know it! I'm feeling very good and just can't believe that it's nearing the end already! I'm getting sooo excited to meet him, see what he looks like, and see how our first homebirth unfolds. Did I even mention yet that we were having a homebirth with him!? Hmmm.... Well, we're planning on it! We love, love, love our midwife and look forward to the new experience. Of course there's a list that I want to have done by a few weeks time, but we're really trying not to overreact with crazy unnecessary preparations for this one. By the fourth, I think {hope!} things just fall into place a bit more. But if I'm wrong on that thinking, please don't burst my bubble... ;) And yes... I promise an updated baby belly picture before too long! Oh, I just can't wait to share his name with you all too...

So... What's new with you all? I have some catchin' up to do! :)

sos

2010-08-04T13:11:00.007-04:00

tRaPpEd

by siblings...

Please send help.

...and Now She's {Six}...

2010-07-27T11:42:00.010-04:00

Tucking Bella into bed on Sunday night, she glanced at her Hello Kitty clock like she does every night and announced the time, "It's 8:56..."

I usually say that it's way too late to be awake still, but that night it took my breath away... Six years ago, I was holding my first child, a sweet and tiny 5 1/2 lb. baby girl only five minutes old.

"Yes, you were five minutes old six years ago! You had just been born at 9:51 at night in Ohio."

"I waaas?!"

"Yep! You surprised Mommy and Daddy by coming early! We weren't expecting you yet!"

"How long did I have to stay at the hospital after I was born?"

"Six days... Not too bad, huh!? Then we brought you home..."

We brought her home, not expecting her to be Daddy's only little girl in a house full of boys...

We brought her home, not knowing she'd have a bubbly (and loud at times!) personality that shines and shines...

We brought her home, not knowing that {six} years could possibly go by so fast.

More than a Lemonade Stand...

2010-07-15T05:34:00.011-04:00

We had a lemonade stand in our front yard on Sunday...

It's something that the "big" kids have been bugging me to do for a long time. Like going on two months long... Isabella would ask weekly, "Wheeen are we gonna have our lemonade and sucker stand!?"

"Soon, Honey... Let's wait until summer

so it's nice and hot."

"Soon, Honey... Let's wait until the

weekend so we have more customers."

"Soon, Honey... It's raining today."

"Soon, Honey... Let's wait until Daddy is

home and can see you and help."

"Soon. Soon. Soon."

Can you tell yet that it was one of "those" things that I put off not due 100% to the reasons given, but for my own selfish ones? ...it will be work to put it together, and it will put me out of my comfort zone, and what if I have to meet a lot of new neighbors, and what if nobody comes and my heart is broken for my children's hearts, and, and, and...

Sunday was the "perfect" day... It was summer and hot. It was the weekend. It was beautiful and sunny. Daddy was home.

We made signs during Brigg's naptime, prepared our lemonade, and gathered our supplies. We set up in a whirlwind while keeping kids corraled off the street. The babes were blissful.

I was worried that nobody would come, since it was close to supper time. Did they come? Boy, did they ever!! A flurry at the beginning, a few in the middle, and selling out during a flurry at the end, forcing us to cease operation until another time. Another perfect day...

As I sat there on my blanket next to our stand watching my oldest scurry up to the table-sit-smile-wave as each car turned the corner, I learned so much. This was more than just a burdensome lemonade stand to me, and so, so much more than a lemonade stand to them. When I look at these pictures of our three babies sitting in a row behind their stand, my heart swells and aches. It truly was the perfect lesson, the perfect day...

Homeschool Roundtable

2010-07-06T14:00:00.002-04:00

Well, our homeschooling journey will begin in another month or two, and I'm getting both very excited and anxious! We're feeling confident and peaceful that this is what's right for us and our family now, so all that's left to do is take a deep breath, jump in, and do a lot of praying! :)

I know that I have some veteran homeschooling mamas as readers, and I've come to you and scoured your blogs for ideas and inspiration, but now I was hoping for you to come and give some encouragement and your best, most useful ideas and resources.

We'll be using My Father's World Kindergarten curriculum for Isabella. Lincoln will be able to sit-in on a lot of the kindergarten activities that are non-reading/math as well as doing his own preschool reviewing and activities. {Brigham will be getting into a lot, and the baby will be nursing and sleeping a lot also...} ;) I've put together a few questions or points that I've been thinking about.... Any thoughts on any of them?

1) What books do you suggest that I read before starting this journey into homeschooling, whether to inspire or for information?
2) Other than ordering MFW-K curriculum, what should I be buying? What are your "schoolroom" must-haves? Dry-erase board? Lots of good books?
3) How do you set up your space for school? I'm sure this will evolve over the years!
4) Any really useful websites or magazines you frequent?
5) How do you keep everything running smoothly in your house as you keep up with both housework and schooling?

Whew! Again, I'm so excited to get things rolling and start down this new and winding path that we're led on...

This Morning

2010-06-27T09:14:00.005-04:00

Somebody is {cold}...

and takes matters...

into her own hands.

Wishing you a Sunday that's filled with

{blessings} and {warm fuzzies}!

Spending Time

2010-06-16T13:05:00.005-04:00

As I mentioned before, Mark was blessed with a couple of weeks off to spend with us before starting anesthesia school this last Monday. Although he was super-anxious to get started with classes and the next 2 1/2 years of this journey, there was nothing better for all of us than having some restful family time together before the craziness started. {And by craziness I'm not just talking his school, but also a certain baby's appearance and new homeschool adventures in the near future!} I've been absent lately, and for good reason, right!? We packed so much into the last two weeks while balancing it with good plain hanging out at home.

There were {little} things like...

* Eating out at old and new favorite places

* Shopping excursions to Costco and Toys 'R Us {Have you ever tried to keep a handle on a crazy 1 1/2 year old darting around Toys 'R Us?! Good thing I wasn't further along in my pregnancy, or I might have gone into labor smack in the middle of the Power Wheels aisle...}

* Giving haircuts at home to one Daddy and three children {Bella's hair got chopped -pics to come- and Brigham accidentally got "Dumb & Dumber" Lloyd bangs -pics not to come...}

* Lazy days and near-summer evenings spent at home

There were {medium} things like...

* Wonderful trips to quaint towns we love, just strolling and enjoying the sights

* Celebrating our 7th {already!?} anniversary... I Love You to the Moon and Back, Hon!

* Another trip to the drive-thru wildlife park to see crazy ostriches that made us keep windows rolled up, zebras that liked to bite children's fingers to make them cry, unnaturally large longhorns that smelled so icky that it almost made Mommy lose breakfast, and lots of other more gentle, well-behaved creatures

Those are just a few of the adventures {big} and {small} that have kept us busy the last couple of weeks... More to come tomorrow!

Summer Blooms

2010-06-07T20:05:00.004-04:00

Mark brought lilies (and roses!) home from the grocery today, and after sticking them in their vase, they just looked so lonely. Nobody likes lonely flowers, so I decided to spruce them up a bit with some additions from our yard. Voila! The blue and silver foliage and the purple flowers were just the thing to bring the whole vase to life!

The shrubs and trees here are amazing and beautiful! Everything blooms a shade of pink, purple, orange, or another fabulous color. (That's not even counting the wildflowers!) There's so many new plants that we're not used to, many of them overflowing in our backyard. Summer is here, yes it is...

Smitten with Writtens

2010-06-04T09:42:00.004-04:00

Fabulous Lenae tagged me for a fun little project that made me a bit nervous. You see, I've never really liked my handwriting, with its borderline messiness and quirks. Everybody seems to have better handwriting than yourself, know what I mean? Oh well. I got over it and jumped right in. So here you have it, my messy quirky writing... :) {I totally should have used cuter paper!!} And if you want to play along, just take a picture or scan your masterpiece and share with your bloggy friends. {I suppose you could share with your in-real-life friends too, but if they aren't bloggers, then it might be a bit weird to them... Maybe.}

1) Name & Blog Name

2) Right-handed, Left-handed or Both

3) Favorite letters to write {You might have to scribble the alphabet many times like I did to figure this out!}

4) Least favorite letters to write

5) Write "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" {notice: "jumps" NOT "jumped"!}

6) Write CRAB, HUMOR, KALEIDOSCOPE, PAJAMAS, & GAZILLION in caps

7) Favorite Song Lyrics*

8) Tag 7 people**

9) Any special note or drawing***

*Refrain from Bella and Mommy's favorite song "Beautiful, Beautiful" by Francesca Battistelli

**I only tagged four... Kathi, Kate, Amy, Love but anybody feel free to jump in!

***Thought I'd share the name {probably} of our little one to come, but bummer... it got cut off! ;)

Things are Different Now

2010-06-01T10:43:00.008-04:00

It just doesn’t seem right… to let Memorial Day, that is, go by without a mention here. I almost got it done, but am 42 minutes late now with starting. {I’m sitting on the floor of our hotel bathroom typing in the wee hours of the morning. More later…}

I’d been thinking all day about it, and really all week and weekend. Things are different now. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate and honor Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day before, but… things are different now. Sometimes I wonder if being just barely three months into our journey as a military family justifies our small sacrifices thus far as other military families past and present. Hmmm, definitely yes and sometimes no maybe. I want to apologize early, as this will be a rambling post. You know, one of those late-night-can’t-sleep-sneak-quietly-out-of-bed posts. {I already feel like my thoughts from lying awake in bed are escaping me…} I like rambling, though, as it gets the thoughts of the heart and mind out, at least. You see, now I’m rambling about rambling… Back to the subject at hand.

What did we do as a new military family on Memorial Day? We enjoyed Daddy at home, of course. {We must remember, though, that so many military families aren’t as lucky as we are to have their loved ones at home this Monday.} We are also relaxing as a family for a few days this week at a fancy resort around the corner from our house. Mark has time off for two weeks before his intense anesthesia schooling starts, and it’s suggested that a vacation and much family time is taken advantage of during this time before. We’re going to do just that, taking a vacation five minutes from home, splashing in the pools and loving our family at a resort that I’ve driven past many times on my way to Target, figuring we’d never be able to stay at ourselves. God bless those businesses that give such blessings to service men and women and their families through both big and small military discounts. I’m learning quickly that military families are very much appreciated in this city…

We weren’t able to make it to church last Sunday due to one yucky tummy at home, but we watched our Memorial Day service streaming live right to our couch. {Ain’t technology grand!?} As the patriotic songs blared over the laptop speakers and the images of red, white, and blue flashed on the screen, I couldn’t help but get choked up. Half way through, Isabella looked up and asked why my nose was red. Instead of being embarrassed and brushing it off, I was honest with her. “Mommy’s just proud of Memorial Day and Daddy, and sometimes that makes me cry. Being proud…” Thank goodness maybe that we weren’t in church, as having my husband stand among others when “United States Army” was announced might have just sent me over the edge into a blubbering, emotional fool. {You see, I’m the one who always starts crying anyways when one of my favorite praise songs is played either on the radio or at church. I’m not sure that Memorial Day emotions, praise song emotions, and pregnancy emotions go well together… I bet a sour tummy at home was God’s way of saving Mommy from total new-church embarrassment…} :)

Seriously, though, I feel honored to be among those families serving, even if I feel a bit insignificant now against those spouses who don’t have their husbands or wives home with them now. My children don’t have to be missing their Daddy now, as they sit on his lap and swim in his arms. We know how blessed we are for the present and this time together. Mark keeps telling me, “it’s these times that we’re able to have because of this that we’ll have to enjoy and remember to get us through the hard times.”

I’m certain and know deep down that we will be that family one day years down the road who is apart, though. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” I always say. I know I’ll be that wife at home, sleeping alone, wondering how I’ll get through another day missing my husband, not knowing… Sometimes I wonder if our little one moving and growing inside me {or another!?} will add to the difficulties of being alone as a “single parent” during those times. Crazy? I don’t think so. I know that my hands and heart will be busy with our little ones, keeping me focused. God will provide the help I need from others. Faith will get us through, and I pray that faith helps those who are experiencing separation and deployment now will help get them through.

I have a hard time listening and watching a lot of things now on the radio or television having to do with war or the military. It’s a lot more “real” for me now. In a way, though, I’m thankful that I’m no longer ignorant to an extent to it all. I have a more tangible, deeper appreciation for those who have served in the past or are presently serving and sacrificing. Did I ever dream that we would be one of those families serving? Not in a million years. Am I glad that we are now? Definitely. We’re among good, loyal, proud company. To our family members and bloggy friends’ families that I know and love who are serving, thank you. It means the world to us…

I Have a Secret...

2010-05-15T00:07:00.012-04:00

So does anybody notice anything

{different} in my sidebar?

On your mark...

Get set...

Go!

Rent! {and I'm not talking about the musical...}

2010-05-13T14:37:00.008-04:00

Do you remember when last month I asked for some thoughts and prayers for our home situation in Ohio? Well, I know that I didn't get right back and report with you like I thought, but that's because all of your extra prayers and positive thoughts for us worked, just with a bit of extra processing time! God has answered back bringing an agreement even better than originally thought!

Our home in Ohio will be rented, but by another woman and her two teenage daughters. She also wanted the home for not only one year, but just over two years with renting month-to-month beyond that! She agreed to our monthly rental rate also! Our realtor will be managing the property and renters, so we just "write the checks" from afar when we need to. :)

We feel beyond blessed as this will work out so well for us! {Not to mention that it's still our home...} This wasn't something we were trying to do {renting}, but it just sort of fell in our laps. It was something on Mark's mind that he wanted to do when we put the house on the market, though, but ultimately felt that we needed to "get rid of it" instead of trying to manage a rental property from 1,500 miles away. We just had to get through some stressful and frustrating house showings to get here! ;) Anyways, I thank you so much from the bottom of my heart {we both do!} for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Please let me know if I can return the favor!

P.S. Don't forget about the ultrasound tomorrow... You just might get to find out what this little one is! ;)

Questions...

2010-05-11T11:15:00.004-04:00

Why do some days {lots of days}

require a bath before lunchtime?

Why do boys {and my girl!} like to get

so dirty all.of.the.time?

Will these days ever end?

Or can they {please} go on forever?

This is What Happens When One Tries to Take a Pregnancy Photo of Oneself

2010-05-05T16:51:00.010-04:00

When asked by a few people for a picture of my baby belly, I thought matters could be taken into my own hands without the assistance of my hubby or daughter. This picture isn't great in some ways, namely the fact that I'm pretty much covering the poor baby up with my hand. {I typically don't get along with camera timers either, but hey at least I'm looking and smiling at the right time...} The angle isn't very good to see my tummy from the side, but maybe you can get a little idea. BUT, what I do love about this picture is that it shows how happy I am about this little blessing already in our family, and that is what really does matter, not if the camera angle is good or not. I can feel the baby move multiple times a day, so I am rejoicing in that! Just another 9 days until we meet him or her too! I'm so excited to put a gender to this baby, as I'm feeling a bit guilty for giving it a number all of the time! So, here's the baby for another week by number...

{Baby #4, 17.5 weeks}

We are Not Traitors

2010-05-01T09:40:00.017-04:00

Other than a few obvious people {you know who you are!}, does anybody else see a conflict of interests here? :) No, we have not jumped ship on the Buckeyes. We will always bleed Scarlet & Gray... But, the Longhorns are pretty cool too, especially since they have a little hand sign that the kids can flash up. {At least Bella...} The bad thing about living in Texas when you're a Buckeye fan, though: We don't live in Ohio anymore, and for some reason, they don't seem to care if they broadcast the Buckeye games on TV down here. Hmmph. We've also taught the kids very well, though, so don't worry fellow Buckeyes.

The Rule: We can cheer for the Longhorns as long as they're not playing OSU, but we ALWAYS cheer for the Buckeyes. Period. The end.

God's Painting

2010-04-28T13:29:00.000-04:00

I'm finally getting some pictures up from our wonderful afternoon adventure to explore the Texas wildflowers for the first time. It truly is amazing how God paints every little green patch with amazing colors every spring here! It's almost as if He has His paintbrush covered in all the colors of the rainbow and splatters the land from above, creating this wonderful masterpiece. Add in the rolling hills, cattle grazing, and ranching homesteads, and it's enough to make you really appreciate why Texans love their state. Enjoy God's Masterpiece with our Little Wildflowers mixed in...

Sweet, beautiful Isabella...

No, amazingly none of the kids picked a wildflower! Brigham a petal or two maybe, but not the whole flower! :)

Lincoln was happy pullingandpullingandpulling the wagon all around...

Bella had been waiting so patiently all spring to have her picture taken by bluebonnets. She was so excited!

Bella just loves being a big sister to her brothers, and surprisingly she wants this baby to be another boy!

A kind lady offered to take a family picture, and look, we're all looking in the same direction! :)

If You Have a Spare Second

2010-04-26T10:07:00.007-04:00

If I could just ask for {a few} prayers and thoughts for our previous home situation... {Please!} It's been just shy of seven months since putting it on the market, and we're ready for something to start moving... We can't change the fact that it's on a busy road or that the bedrooms are too small, and we accept that. But... We have a proposal on the table for a couple to rent it for a year starting next month, who possibly want to buy if or when their other home sells many states away. We are happy with this, and it would work out well for us. Hopefully we hear back today or tomorrow... {Thanks! XOXO}

If It's Gotta Be Clean, It's Gotta Be.... Homemade!?

2010-04-22T23:16:00.003-04:00

I know you've all been anxiously awaiting and hanging on the edge of your desk chairs for the outcome of my latest experiment with making my own laundry detergent, so here goes...

After cooling overnight, I'm proud to announce that yes, the mixture did indeed gel in the bucket as anticipated. I guess this shows that something went right up to this point. Great, but here's where I get a little embarrassed, though... Previously I had said that I made a half-batch due to only having two small containers to hold my new liquid gold in. Well, I obviously didn't do the math or even think of doing the math, because 5 gallons of liquid {remember I had to add water to it before bottling...} does not and will not fit into two wimpy containers totaling 175 ounces. Not even close... Nope.

Fortunately, I also keep my vinegar in the laundry room for mixing my favorite all-purpose cleaner and was running low in the larger bottle. Voila, another container! Still not even close, though... To the recycling bin I go. {Yes, I dug through my trash to get an orange juice container to put my detergent in, but hey, this is 128 ounces of pure detergent storage for nothing! It was Earth Day, remember...} Okay, still.not.close.though. Raiding the pantry brought forth a nice big frying oil jug that I didn't want anymore, but I didn't have any place to dispose of the oil. In the end, I ended up leaving the bucket about 1/3 full and sitting on my dryer, but the moral of this huge long rambling would be to measure twice, pour once. ;)

Moving on, since you all just really want to know if this stuff works... In one word, YES! I was very happy with the outcome of the lightly-soiled normal load that I did this morning. I inspected the clothes very closely while still warm from the dryer and this is what I found.

~ Very soft clothes with no need of softener. Springy and bouncy! {Wish my hair was like that...}
~ Wonderful fresh, clean scent with no heavy perfume. Pure clean that my nose had a hard time leaving. {Unfortunately, there is no trace of the wonderful scent of Fels Naptha after the dilution process, but that's what the other 6 1/2 bars on my shelf are for...}
~ No soapy residue on clothing. I think that even the expensive brand detergents leaves some residue behind...

I have yet to try it on any heavily-soiled clothing from the children's outdoor playtimes, but I'm confident it can stand against the expensive stuff. I've also read many good things about using Fels Naptha as a stain treatment by rubbing the bar into the stain before washing, so I'll keep that in mind for sure. All in all, I think it was a success other than the storage fiasco, and hope that I've encouraged at least one of you to change your laundry tagline for good! I mean just look above at all of the detergent half a bar of soap, less than a cup of dry ingredients, some water, and time will buy you! :)

I Boiled What On My Stove!?

2010-04-21T17:34:00.000-04:00

The aroma of the house right now is clean and fresh thanks to the grated bar of soap that I was melting and boiling on my stove. Yes, you read right! :) I finally made a batch of the homemade laundry detergent that I've been wanting to try for months and months. I kept putting it off until the move, so I wouldn't have to waste any at the last house. Yesterday I was blissfully giddy when the UPS man brought my last ingredient of a whopping three items that this recipe calls for. I jumped around the house and tore the package open. Seven fresh yellow bars of Fels Naptha soap filled the house with its intoxicating scent as soon as the bars saw sunlight. I've heard that this soap smells yummy, but oh my! I found myself making many trips to the laundry room during the last day just to smell the air inside made sweet by the bars sitting wrapped on the counter inside. {Yes, it is the little things that make me happy...}

The kids were highly interested in the process, so I'm glad that I did it while the baby was napping. {It takes a while to melt the grated soap down on the stove, and you also don't want little fingers mixing ingredients behind your back!} I made a half batch, since I only have two smaller empty Tide containers saved to store the mixture in for now. The concentrate is now sitting in its 5-gallon bucket waiting to "gel" overnight. I'll see in the morning whether or not this new little project of mine was successful and report back! I decided to go with the tried and true recipe of the Duggar family that I found in my book The Duggars: 20 and Counting!

Please let me know if you've tried your own detergent or decide to try this recipe for yourself!

Ingredients:

1 Fels Naptha soap bar, grated
1 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax

Instructions:

Grate the soap bar into a small saucepan. Cover with hot water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continually, until the soap completely dissolves.

Put Washing Soda and Borax in a 5-gallon bucket. Pour in the hot, melted soap mixture. Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water. Stir, cover securely, and let set overnight. The next morning, stir the mixture. Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a smaller laundry-detergent dispenser or container. Shake before using.

For top-loading machines: Use 1 cup of the soap mixture per load.
For front-loading machines: Use 1/2 cup per load.

Too Soon...

2010-04-17T16:09:00.005-04:00

Too soon you won't be climbing up on the counter to steal your third banana of the day...

Too soon you won't have those tiny crooked teeth peeking out that Mama loves so much...

Too soon you won't have chocolate all over your precious dimpled face for me to wipe away...

Too soon you won't look at me with that twinkle in your eye & silly grin...

Too soon Daddy's hat won't be too big on you...

{Brigham Isaac ~ 20 months}

Blessings Overflowing

2010-04-06T15:33:00.001-04:00

There are no words to describe the deep sense of contentment and peace I have now. Peace from a beautiful Easter weekend spent at church and home with our little family... Peace in our decision to walk through an open door into another chapter of life filled with opportunity and adventure as a military family... Peace from a big decision nearly made... Peace from a fourth Easter basket left on Sunday morning!

Our family is growing! We have been so blessed! Thank you, Lord for our

Blessings Overflowing...

Caution: Imaginations in Use

2010-03-29T13:20:00.008-04:00

This is what's going on at our house right now... There's never a dull moment in this house. Nope. Especially for Lincoln, having an older sister to influence him and all... He's going to love this picture when he's older. Hee, hee.

Can You Guess...

2010-03-26T18:16:00.008-04:00

Where

went

yesterday?

{No,

wasn't

the

dentist!}

If I Had a Dime...

2010-03-15T13:30:00.008-04:00

... for every time that I've said this to my husband over the past few years.

"If it's not one child, it's always another. No fail."

You've said it too, right? If one child gets well, the next will be sick soon. If one child is happy and content finally, the next will need water, food, questions answered, tears wiped, and boo-boos kissed. If one child is finally sleeping all night, another will need tending to many times the next night. I think it's some sort of law like Murphy's Law, but I haven't come up with a name for it yet...

We moved Brigham to his big boy bed right away when we moved into this house a couple of weeks ago. {It just seemed logical to not have to put the crib back up for a few months and then disassemble that to assemble the new bed.} He's done amazing with the transition, sleeping well for naps and over night. The last week, though, he's been waking around 3-4 times a night for water or just an MIA binky. {or three!} I've been tired again in the morning, dragging for hours or even the whole day after waking many times at night again. He's finally slept through the night for months {thank you, Lord!}, but getting smart again with Mommy coming to his aid for little wails and grunts. I told Mark two nights ago before bed that I was getting behind on sleep again and dragging in the morning.

That night, sweet Brigham didn't make a peep! {If I don't count the one time before I went to bed that he was up...} But, alas, Bella of all children was up FIVE times that night! I can usually count on her to sleep like a rock for 11 hours or so. Thirsty, tummy hurt with childrens' Tums & thirsty again, potty {big surprise after the first two wakings...}, bloody nose and sheet stripping, and something else that I can't remember, since I'm pretty sure I was sleep-walking through that episode at that point. Hmmm, funny... Not so. At least there was some comic relief during the tummy hurting waking. After fetching Bella water and returning to her room, she candidly told me {don't tell her I told you!} that she had "a pooter as loud as Daddy's i-phone". Okay!? "Well, that should help your tummy feel better." The things children come up with in the middle of the night... *chuckle*

Fast forward to last night... Bella slept like a pro again, but Brigham wanted his turn again in grand fashion. I don't think I fell asleep until well after 2 or 3 A.M. I'm wondering now if his four canine teeth coming through had something to do with it. {Genius me didn't think of that last night!} Or maybe he was just being a little stinker... I'll never know.

Either way, it's all part of parenting. {This mysterious law that is...} Either way, I always like to think of it as some part of God's sense of humor to keep us parents on our toes. That makes me feel a bit better to think of nights like that in that sense. Now, if I could just come up with a name for this phenom to make me feel even better...

We've Arrived

2010-02-28T22:44:00.007-05:00

I can't sleep, and for good reason. It's our fourth night in our new home, and I'm listening to our first Texas rain through the still quiet of our sleepy neighborhood. It's beautiful and so peaceful. It is only 9:45, but this is "late" for me to be awake lately. We've all been in bed so early, as there's really no reason to stay awake in an empty house. There's no television, no internet (until today), and not even a book to curl up with on a chair. We've set up camp in our master bedroom, with an air mattress flanked by two sleeping bags and a pack 'n play. It's cozy, and quickly became my favorite room of the house. {Not just because it has a master bath attached, warm carpet underfoot, and could easily fit three of our last bedrooms inside of it...}

Tomorrow our belongings get delivered. I'm a little excited and anxious both. Life has been so simple the last few days without all of the "stuff" surrounding us. I know there will be a trillion things that I don't want in our new home that didn't make the purge in Ohio. Time just ran out... It will be nice having furniture to sit on and eat on, instead of the staircase and its large landing as our resting place and dinner table. The kids could use some of their old toys back instead of the few that made the trip with us. I look forward to fluffing the kids' bedrooms with them, but will sorely miss all five of us in the same "family bed" at night.

Sickness (the good ol' fashioned flu) found its way into our home the last few days, so we've been knocked down a bit. {Again, I'm so thankful for the cozy, large bedroom where many of us at a time could rest and mend...} I'm praying that it's struck the last of us, but prepared for the worst for delivery day. Thank goodness Mommy went down last night overnight, and not during the day. Praise the Lord for a husband that completely took over not only the one million little things on his plate, but also the kids all night and morning, even when he wasn't 100%. I can't even remember the last time I was in bed still at 9:30 A.M. I admit, I liked it just a little bit even if it was to gain a few extra hours of strength after a night of my body being taken over by unpleasantries. Poor Lincoln got it the worst. His little body was surrendered to 10-minute-on-the-button bathroom runs for almost twelve hours. Bless his heart, he's feeling better finally.

I'm so thankful for all of the prayers and positive thoughts for our last home to sell, but keep them coming... After seven showings the week Mark was out of town one week before leaving, we've had just one cancelled showing the last two weeks. I was reminded that busy week that God doesn't give us anything we can't handle...

Though it seems that the road's been bumpy these last couple of weeks, it really doesn't feel that way to us. Things haven't gone completely as planned, but then again, I've heard the saying that "we make plans, and then God laughs". We love our new home already and look forward to all of the bumps this phase has to offer. I've been getting a lot of wishes for pictures, but until our camera is unpacked (whoops) or the i-phone cooperates with the computer, I can only leave you with this picture of our little side courtyard. I'll try to keep in touch more that we're "settled" now. I miss you all, family and friends.

Love, Kate

Ramblings and Happenings From a Dead-Beat Blogger

2010-01-27T15:57:00.004-05:00

~ Countdown 18 days until our move. Valentine's Day is the day we drive out of town. I think I should be more unsettled by that number than I am. Thank goodness we'll have movers from the military and trust in the Lord! :)

~ Countdown 3 days until Mark drives his new-to-him car out of town to find us a house to make our home after moving. {I need to submit our final list of houses for him to see to the realtor tomorrow... Eek!}

~Mark is working his last 3 hours at work now. Wow. Surreal.

~ We're getting over another round of colds already this year. Does warm southern weather mean less sickness, I hope!? Please, anybody?

~ Brigham's cold turned into another double ear infection with an appearance by a bizarre "rash" that he gets when he has anything more than a cold. The doctor wants us to see an infectious disease specialist for the crazy looking spots that he gets. We might as well see a pediatric cardiologist for a small murmur that was detected at his "well-baby" check-up on Monday too. Oh, and don't forget those ear infections that have us starting to worry that he'll need something done with them in the future. BUT, his strep test was negative! :)

~Our 30-plus-foot long front gutter was ripped down by huge chunks of ice that crashed down late the night before a showing last weekend. The showing that we spent stressed hours cleaning and straightening and staging and driving only to have the potential buyers not even get out of the car, because the house was too close to the road for her baby. Our babies have fared just fine here under our watchful eyes...

~Another showing on Friday.... Will this be the last one before our home is vacant for showings?? I wonder what God's plan is for this house? Maybe this will be "the one"... It seems like it's been longer than four months.

~ I'm "sleeping like a baby" now that Brigham is sleeping 7:30 P.M. - 6:30 A.M. straight! ;)

~ Why am I still sleepy then sometimes?? It's the weather, I think... Again, here we come southern weather!!

~ We found a loving home for our dog, Bentley. We're good with this. I could be pet-free for a while, I think. And speaking of pets... The chickens now live across the tree line at the neighbors. We still need to take the kids to say goodbye, though.

~Our home has been buzzing with many, many visitors, both friends and family. We love all of the company and bittersweet last meetings at this home, but are excited to see you at the next! :)

~ I miss my bloggy friends. I really do. I need to make my way back to your thoughts and hopefully you to mine... Ah, feels good to be back for now, though....

Fall Pictures... Finally!

2009-11-19T14:57:00.007-05:00

I've been meaning to post these pics for a couple of weeks now, and am just getting around to it! Now, I'd love to see the brilliant colors on the trees again and not just the lonely, twisted branches...

This was Brigham's first encounter with fall-time leaves. He wasn't so sure of the giant pile. Can you tell by the look on his face and his inability to let go of the fence!? :)

Not even sure of it with Daddy protecting him...

"So much for this! I'm revving up my bike to blow this joint... Eat my pink and purple dust, leaves!"

(Or as Daddy always says to us, "Let's make like a tree and leave." *chuckle, chuckle* Sorry, I just had to...)

Next on the other end of the spectrum is Bella, the tree hugger. She always appreciates the leaves, in all their crunchy, colorful glory.

Does it look like she's in heaven, or what!? That's our Bella...

Now somewhere in the middle falls Lincoln. He's our hard-core task-oriented child. While not really enjoying the leaves for their ability to provide a soft landing, he does enjoy many activities with them such as:

Mowing over them...

Burying Daddy with them...

And the classic, raking them...

Can you believe that something as simple as an afternoon of playing in the leaves can reveal so much about children's personalities? It even shows a thing or two about Mommy... That yes, I do indeed let my kids hang out in their pjs all day! :)

Bit in the Rear, Part 2

2009-11-12T10:41:00.010-05:00

...So fast-forward 5 1/2 hours later after feverishly cleaning like a mad-woman (and man... Thank you very much, Honey.); feeding the kids fast food for lunch; and sending Mark to Target {smooch, smooch} for paper towels, Clorox wipes, 409 spray, and fresh flowers & green apples for staging.

{And yes, dirty laundry was put into trash bags and hidden, clean laundry stuffed back into the dryer, and although not done this time, I have put dirty dishes in the warming drawer or dishwasher with clean dishes!!! So glad I'm not the only one!}

It was finally 2:30 and time to leave for the hour. (Mark had already left shortly before and was going to meet us later. So, this next part is all me and my brilliant handlings...) I threw the two big, still pajama-clad kids in their carseats and ran upstairs to grab the baby who had just woken from his afternoon nap. Poopy. No really... Poopy diaper. Ugh! I don't have time for a poopy diaper! What if they come a few minutes early and walk in to my half-naked, poop-covered son on the floor!? What if? What I'm to say next, I'm not proud of, but I'm putting it all out there. Yes, I put him in his carseat poop and all, threw in a diaper and wipes, and screeched out of the driveway with 9 minutes to spare. (There, I said it...) First stop... The park a mile down the road for a diaper change! Ahem. "No, kids, I'm sorry we can't play. You still have your pajamas on and no shoes!" Ahem. Ahem.

Then, as always, we stalk our own home for part of the hour, driving by half-a-dozen times. Did they show? What kind of car do they drive? Can you see them in the windows? Are they sitting at the kitchen table writing a big, fat check? Please tell me that we're not the only ones that do this. Please.

Driving by the 1st time at roughly 2:49... Nobody there yet.

Driving by for the 2nd time at roughly 2:59... Nobody there yet. {Oh, no I didn't...}

Driving by for the 3rd time at roughly 3:14... Nobody there yet. {Oh, yes I did...}

Did anybody catch on yet? In "Bit in the Rear, Part 1" when I received the phone call from the realtor's office, they wanted to set up the showing for 3:45-4:45. Notice the times above again. Yes-sirree. I half-killed myself to leave home a full hour early, poopy baby and all. By this time, I had stopped back home to double-check the time that I had jotted down on scrap paper that morning. 3:45. Great! At least now I can get the kids some quick hobo-looking outfits and shoes to take them to the park. Leaving a message for Mark then, I confessed that yes, he was right. He had asked me earlier in the day about nap time, since the showing was at 3:45. "Nooo, it's at 2:45. No naps!" He was right twice in one day. Twice.

After all was said and done, the party did come through the house, since we found the lights off and candles blown out when we returned. (No, we didn't drive by 9 times again to check! We were at the park with ice cream, thankyouverymuch.) We just got the feedback emailed this morning from our realtor about this showing... The buyer wasn't sure of our layout. So what if the master bedroom is the size of a "child's shoebox" with the "master bath" two floors down in the basement? {insert "Tommy Boy" air quotes...} So what? Deal with it and make an offer! It's the least they could do for what they put me through...

It Finally Bit Me in the Rear...

2009-11-10T09:48:00.006-05:00

I had just plopped down at the computer with my cup of hazelnut-flavored coffee after putting the baby down for his nap yesterday morning. The two older kids were happily watching a cartoon for a few minutes, home from school with the I-don't-know-if-it's-H1N1-or-not-sickness.

Ahhh...

RING!! RING!!
(Okay, our phone really doesn't "ring", but I don't know how to convey the spaceship-like beeping, clicking noise ours makes.)

"Hello, Kate? We have somebody who wants to see your house! Today at 3:45? Is that okay?"

"Ugh, great! Ugh, yeah, 3:45 would be fine." *click*

EEEEEKKKK! NOOOOO! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? THE HOUSE IS THE MESSIEST IT'S BEEN IN LIKE... EVER!

{Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out.}
{Pray... "God, I'm really gonna need you today!!"}

I quickly ran upstairs to wake Mark. Nervously giggling, I told him about the phone conversation. You see I said "nervously giggling", because no more than 24 hours before this, Mark had told me that the house couldn't be in its current condition. What if somebody calls and wants to see the house today? Why, oh why did he have to be right!? "No. There's no way the house is going to be ready," he quips. Too late!! I reassured him that I always get it done in time. (Even if it half kills me every.single.time.)

Okay, so I'm not joking either when I say that the house was messy, really messy. Toys all over, dishes in the sink, dust, gunk, approximately 39.2 loads of laundry both clean and dirty all over the three stories of the house, a suitcase still semi-packed from a week ago, bedrooms a mess.... Yes, it's true, I sometimes slack. We had also enjoyed the beautiful weekend weather outside walking and raking leaves, so it was easy to just pretend for a few days that the inside of the house didn't need attention. No more pretending! We've always had at least a day's notice if not a few days for house showings, so I really didn't think a last-minute call could happen to us. And now I know...

To be continued...
{I'm sure I've already lost half of you by now, so here's my feeble attempt to keep the rest of you engaged...}

The Why...

2009-11-03T10:06:00.013-05:00

So when I said that the "why" of our moving story was coming soon, I really didn't mean soon as in "two-weeks soon". Sorry. Again, the poor blog is neglected. It's still here, though, and hopefully you are too! :)

Lets' see, where do I start with this chapter of the story? I'll just start with the man behind the move, my super-cool-super-hot husband!

(Sorry that I like to embarrass you on our blog, Honey! ;)

Ahem, back to the topic at hand about the "why"... We're moving to a certain {everything's bigger in...} southern state to allow us to further both Mark's career and our family's goals and plans for the future. Mark's been accepted into anesthesia school! Yes, that's right. Within the next few years he'll be trained in the proper way to not only knock patients out for routine and advanced surgical procedures but to also bring relief from that icky minor pain associated with birthing new lives. (You can thank him later...) There's also the few trillion other technical-medical-type things he'll learn that I could never comprehend, let alone have enough brain storage left next to the files for knowing which sippy cups don't leak or how to best break up a squabble over who gets the last yogurt tube. {Like I say, though, this is super-hero-quality stuff too...} Enough about me, though!

Here's the other important piece to the puzzle... Mark didn't get into just any anesthesia school. He made his way into the ultra-elite Army's Graduate Program in Anesthesia. This means that he'll be trained as both an anesthetist and an Officer in the United States Army. Pretty cool stuff, huh!?

Of course Mark will be the one serving in the Army, but most of you know that this will quickly morph us into a military family. While there are a little bit of nervous jitters for the unknown that comes along with this, we are ultimately very excited and honored to embark on this new chapter in our lives. We pray that this door that has been opened for us by our Ultimate Commander in Chief will shower our family with countless adventures and opportunities for growth and service to our country and Him.

I guess that takes care of the "why" now, doesn't it!? Lately, it's hard living in the now waiting for our new adventure to start, but we know that it will be here before we know it. I'm sure we'll spend many cold midwest winter days day-dreaming about what the future holds for our family!

Ramblings of a Temporary Insomniac

2009-10-22T23:23:00.009-04:00

This has got to be the worst joke there is for a sleep-deprived mama... Here it is 11:28 P.M., and I'm sitting at the computer about to write a post about complete and utter nonsense. {No, really. So don't say I didn't warn you...} I was in bed tonight at 9:45 after a particularly foggy, grouchy day and yep, you guessed it, getting nowhere close to dreamland as I lay wide awake. Being downstairs at the computer for the first time of the night made my eyes tired after a half hour, but alas, not da brain.

tick, tick

{up once with Brigham}

tick, tick

{I should get up and fold laundry}

tick, tick

{nah}

tick, tick

{what should I blog about next?}

tick, tick...

So once my mind wonders to thoughts of my blog in bed, I know I'm not falling asleep anytime soon. Is that true for anybody else? Yeah, thought so. Anyways, what follows is the honest-to-goodness, 100% true train of thought that I had about my blog in bed just minutes ago. I felt compelled to share. {Which is why I'm sitting in front of the computer for the second time tonight post-bedtime...}

Hmm... what should I blog about next?

I do have to get around to finishing my tantalizing story of why we're uprooting our lives.

But you know, Kate, you should really change the "Daily Rambling" again.

Rambling... Ha, that's a funny word. Never thought of that before...

Rambling, rambling, rambling, rambling rambling...

It reminds me of that word... Oh, what is it?!? ...the chunks of fried pig skin that Mark my foodie husband always drools over when watching Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain. Uhhhh! What's.that.word!?

Mark would know if I asked him.

I suppose he'd be upset if I rolled over and woke him up to ask him that now, though.

Hmm... Nope, better not.

Shoot. I'll have to go look it up on the computer now.

Wait a second! Why in the wiggity-world am I thinking of fried pig skin now!?

Oh yeah... Rambling, rambling, rambling, rambling...

So there you have it. The post full of complete and utter nonsense that floods my brain as I lie (or is it lay??) awake at night. And now, off to bed for the third time tonight. But not before I leave you with this golden nugget of information... {No pun intended...}

Cracklings! ;)

Where to Start?

2009-10-21T11:02:00.012-04:00

Things have settled a lot this week, and I feel like I am able to sit and relax at the computer for ~~the baby's whole nap~~ a few moments. *sigh* I feel like I can start filling in some of the blanks of why it's been even crazier than normal here lately. You know, the mentioned "big changes" we have coming our way. And coming they are. For starters, we're enjoying our last beautiful fall season here in our home. We have one of these in our front yard...

{If only ours looked this pretty...}

Surreal. After much thought, discussion, and prayer, we've taken a crazy leap of faith to take our family in a new direction. We haven't been in our home for too long {4 1/2 years}, but here's the thing... It is home. The first house we bought. So many memories made. Babies brought home that learned to walk, talk, love here. In a town we love. {Okay, enough sappy, sappy sad mellowdrama...} We know that wherever we are will be home if we're together, though. And that's why it's okay that there's an ugly sign in our yard. We actually like adventure and change and welcome it. We don't want things getting too stale... The kids are so excited too. I personally am having a harder time welcoming the constant deep cleaning and embracing the crazy-mommy-running-around getting ready for showings and open houses than moving itself. If I nevereverever have to say again, "don't touch that" or "this room's done, don't come in here" I'll be a very happy mommy. Soon it will be worth it, though, when we're to this point... {deep breaths...}

We've only had our house on the market for a couple of weeks, but the months of work leading up to it were draining. We're looking forward to when we can move on to this next, exciting chapter of our lives as a family. Right now we're stuck prisoners in a jumbled mix of emotions of not being able to move fast enough and never wanting our time in our first home and town we love to end. {At least we'll be moving during the still depths of our long winter here, when the cold seems to drag onandonandon....} And where are we moving do you ask?

Let's just say that there are plenty of {insert Dixie Chick humming...} wide open spaces for big plans and CRaZy dreams....

{the WHY coming soon...}

Hang On

2009-10-09T14:12:00.006-04:00

It feels like I've hardly had any time to post lately... Our {big} changes are starting to roll, and it feels as though the blog has been left

There's a lot that I want to share... Big things, little things, cute pictures... I guess it will have to wait a bit, though. The good thing about blogs? It will still be here when I'm ~~ready~~ able to pick back up and devote some time to sharing more. Like a loyal "man's best friend", it will wait by its master's side, silently waiting for some lovin'...

Sleeping Like a Baby!?

2009-10-03T13:50:00.015-04:00

After three of three children waking me up what seems likes a trillion times a night throughout their first year-and-a-half of life, I've decided that enough is enough! I now know that there's not going to be some magical night that the baby will reach a point and just *poof* sleep all night. Also, never really being an advocate of the "cry-it-out" method, {though it's has been tried a time or two before with no real, lasting results...} I thought that this was just another season of parenting that required me to be a sleep-deprived zombieofamommy. After all, the babies are happy... Granted, I know that having a baby will yield many sleepless nights and months of interrupted sleep, but after a year of this, it starts affecting every area of my life. For example, having started a sleep log for Brigham {almost 14 mo.} last night, it shows that we were up six times with the longest sleep stretch of 3 1/2 hours. (And I was thrilled with this! 3 1/2 hours! *squeal*)

But, before I go any further, here's another of my disclaimers... I fully know it's my fault that they are like this. What baby wouldn't want many warm snuggles & snacks with mama overnight!? They can't help it! They've been trained by me to do this! Realizing this at least keeps any resentment at bay... But come on, I'm on my third baby, shouldn't I somewhat know how to do things by now?! Guess not...

What have I decided to do about it you ask? Well, I've come across the book The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. I think God must have known how much I've been struggling with the sleepless nights and being the wife and mommy that I didn't want to be. I have a lot on my heart now that I want to change. Work or not, I'm certainly game for trying whatever the book says and praying my way through the process. Please, somebody tell me, though, that this book indeed helped you! And yes, of course I'll keep you updated through this gentle multi-week process of using sleep logs and introducing a tear-free plan and sleep routine.

Also, for the record... I personally don't believe that whomever coined the phrase "sleeping like a baby" really even had any kids. That's certainly not my ideal dream sleep... Anyways, who knows. Maybe just maybe within a few weeks Brigham and I will both be sleeping like adults!

An Award!?

2009-09-28T09:37:00.007-04:00

Oh, my... I've been "nominated" for my first blog award, a Superior Scribbler Award! I'm so honored *blush*, and having it come from sweet Lenae at Just Lenae who's an awesome mommy to three little boys and shares my love of Dr. Pepper & Chipotle is just wonderful! Thanks, my bloggy friend! :)

First, the "RULES"...

1. Each Superior Scribbler must turn and pass on this award to 5 of the most deserving blogs.
2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the blog and name the author from which he/she received the award on his/her blog.
3. Each Superior Scribbler must display the award on his or her blog, and link to this post.
4. Each blogger who was awarded Superior Scribbler, must visit this post and add their name to the Mr. Linky. That way we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives this prestigious honor.
5. Each Superior Scribbler must post the rules on their blog.

And Now, My Nominations!
{Oh, I hope that I don't get disqualified for only naming three!!}

1. Sasha at Lemonade Makin' Mama~ Sasha's blog is so refreshing, timeless, and real. (Just like a tall glass of lemonade!) I find myself looking forward to her wonderful posts about her fun crafts, beautiful home decorating, or homeschooling her two adorable kids. Another thing about Sasha that's so refreshing... Her bubbly, happy, "you go girl!" attitude splashing you in the face with every visit!

2. Love at Moments with Love~ Love is an amazing and beautiful mother, wife, and overall person, in and out! Her blog journals her life as a mother of four adorable young girls while striving to bring home two more blessings from Uganda to join their family. It's amazing when a fellow blogger inspires you to be a better person...

3. Tara at Too Many Kids in the Bathtub~ I'm a fairly new follower of Tara's blog, but feel so blessed to have found it. If ever God would place a blog into someone's life when they needed it, I believe this is that one to me! What an amazing family of seven that strives to glorify the Lord in all they do!

What's in a Name?

2009-09-25T11:25:00.005-04:00

Well, did you notice? I've changed the name of our blog to {Bliss & That} .... It's something that I've been thinking about for a while really. Yes, we do have a brood of our own, but I wanted something to better reflect our blog and daily life. It's always a little of this and a little of that around here with a healthy dose of bliss mixed in! (It didn't hurt that one of my all-time favorite words in the English language is "Bliss" too!) So, there you have it, the birth of a new name! What do you think?

{Oh, and don't forget to change our name on your site if I'm so blessed to be mentioned on it!}

{Somewhat} Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-23T17:36:00.009-04:00

Lazy {warm} afternoons won't last long anymore...

Bella's pictures of Mama...

Babies in just diapers...

Plants that are still alive ...

Bright sunshine...

Babies in just diapers... :)

An outdoor game of tag...

{Going, Going ....}

Let Go...

2009-09-22T14:00:00.003-04:00

Sometimes it's just better to let go for a moment...

Realizing that giving the kids doughnuts for breakfast once a year isn't really going to hurt them...

That it's okay to feed them on the family room floor on paper plates, scattering crumbs all about...

...while watching cartoons for half the morning...

So sometimes it's okay to let go...

...because the smiles and hugs and "I just wanted to say thank yous" from your daughter and sons are much more worth it...

Flowers for Me!?

2009-09-19T15:55:00.006-04:00

{As if I could love my husband any more...}

We've been having to make some big decisions lately and have big changes heading our way. This is Mark's sweet way of encouraging, thanking, and reminding me that "It's an adventure and it will all work out." I know, Honey. With you by my side, oh how I know...

A Trip to the E-Argh

2009-09-18T17:22:00.004-04:00

"Mommeeeee! Come out here now," yells Bella from the other room.

*sigh* What now?

"Lincoln is behind the couch."

"Lincoln, why are you back there?"

"My in the E-Argh. My tummy is broke."{As he's on the floor wedged between the couch and the wall in only his Bob the Builder underpants...}

{chuckle} "Okay..."

"My can't eat food or it will FALL OUT!"

"Of your tummy?"

"Yeah, it broke."

{Bella... "He has to stay in here for, um... 60 days!" She's his nurse...}

"Okay, sounds good..."

Now I'm back in the other room and hear...

"Nurse! Nurse! Nurse Brigham!" {chuckle} Now that's scary!

They've been playing nurse/patient for quite a while now. Isabella is taking such good care of the broken-tummy boy, singing to him, reading him books, and feeding him apple slices. Daddy would be so proud!

Diving Into Preschool

2009-09-15T14:53:00.010-04:00

Ah, now it's time for Lincoln's school post... Of course I was sad to let my Little Man go to preschool, but it was easier than I thought. Is it always going to be easier with the second and third child? Will I even shed a tear when it's Brigham's turn? Like I said, yes I was sad and yes I cried some, but it was different. I feel very guilty. Like a worse Mommy to him than to Bella, since it was so hard with her this year. Granted, he is attending school where Bella did with the same teachers, and I got to go with him for the first day. We are so comfortable there. It's small, close to home, at our church, and we know all of the teachers and staff. They've earned our trust with our children. That being said, that makes the school part easy. Now if something could just make the growing-up part easy!

Here he is in front of the school tree with his fish name tag on! The theme this year was "Diving into Preschool". It was raining, but we still had to get all of the pictures!

Looks like this one adores Daddy too! I must be too mean. Just check out the look that I get in my picture...

Brigham made it in for this one! He wonders what all of the hoopla is about, I'm sure. (And no, I didn't even put on my waterproof mascara! See, I knew I wouldn't be as sad...)

Singing the "Jesus Loves Lincoln" song while looking in the mirror. Does this child have an infectious smile or what!? (Like the picture with Daddy...) It melts my heart every. time.

Snack time! Whale cheese crackers. So cute!

We needed to take more pictures on the second day, since he was being dropped off for the first time to stay alone.

Lincoln was so excited to wait in the front seat after being unbuckled. I think he was more excited about that than school... Just look at his face in the mirror!

Our ~~heartbreaker~~ handsome boy all set to go, and he's loving it!

Done. For Now...

2009-09-11T20:59:00.009-04:00

Remember this post about my late-night online picture-ordering fiasco? Yeah, that one... Well, I finally finished my order the other day quite uneventfully with another round of free shipping for Labor Day. (saved $38.00!)

To my delight, there was a box on the front porch when I came down from putting the kids to bed tonight. I whipped the door open and dead-lifted the what-seemed-like 50-pound box into the kitchen.

{Just to be super-cool for my blog, I actually lugged the box upstairs to the bathroom to weigh it on the scale. 23.2 pounds. That's it?! I swear it felt heavier than both big kids put together!}

Anyways... Here's what almost 3.5 years worth and 2,102 pictures look like when you order them all at once.

{54 envelopes, 2,102 pictures, 23.2 pounds, 3.5 years}

What's that you say? How long will it take me to put them into albums now?

We're not even going to go there... Let me bask in the glory of this accomplished task for a bit.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-09T08:27:00.005-04:00

A Few of My Favorite Things

2009-09-07T18:22:00.014-04:00

I thought it would be fun to do something different and show you some of my {favorite} things that I can't.live.without. This is quite a wide variety, but what I could come up with today! {And truly my favorites}

1) Dr. Pepper

Oh, how I love Dr. Pepper! Any of you that really know me know that I don't "drink", but would just always rather have a soda. It's my sweet potion to relaxation... My "Calgon, take me away"...

2) Target

What would I do without Target!? Well, for starters I or our children would never be wearing any cute yet cheap shoes, clothes, or have good quality generic toilet paper! {Or as Mark would say, "spend way less money..." No, not on toilet paper, the other fun stuff I get there, Silly!} I have to go at least once or twice a week or I don't feel right. I always "joke" that wherever we move, there has to be a Target nearby. Notice I put "joke" in quotes. I'm being serious. Dead.Serious.

3) Burt's Bees "Baby Bees" Products

I'm in love with the scent of these products. I'm fully convinced that this is what God intended babies to smell like. The groovy people at Burt's Bees are onto something I tell you. I can't take my nose off of my children's hair after bathtime. {Heaven} And it's natural too. Perfection.

4) Chipotle Restaurant

Again, Mark can verify this. I'm addicted to Chipotle. Really their chips, but the other food is smokin' good too. But back to the chips... Crispy perfection with real lime juice and large-flaked salt. Oh mama! I need two bags. One for dinner and the other to snack on for breakfast the next morning. Again, no joke. And I've got the kids hooked too. {Bad mommy!} I've never been happier then when Chipotle came to town last spring. {Okay, just maybe when Target opened 5 minutes from my house... But it's a tie!}

5) Clorox Wipes

I know, I know... This isn't the most "green" of my choices. I'm not proud of it, but these things are seriously convenient. I always have a few tubs. They're the perfect counter-wiping, toilet-wiping, mess-wiping wipe. I use them every.single.day. {Unless I'm rebelling against cleaning for a bit, but they're always on stand-by...}

So, there you have it. My first "Favorite Things" list! I'd love to hear who else loves these things with me. And of course, I want to know your favs too! :)

We Let Her Go...

2009-09-01T16:23:00.012-04:00

Well, we did it. We let go of Bella just long enough for her to escape into the wonderful world they call Kindergarten. Her first day was last Wednesday, and honestly it was a day that I've been dreading for a long time. I mean, just look how ~~upset~~ utterly excited she looks about going...

She did great! She has been excited about it for a long time and always loved preschool. We knew she'd do great. It's just that she's our baby and still so young and in a bigger school and what if he gets lost and all new friends and all new teachers and recess where she could get hurt and what if kids are mean to her andandand...

She picked out a new pink and purple backpack, had her dress picked out for weeks, and wanted me to do a braid in her hair. We took pictures in front of the house in the same spot that we have every year. Doesn't she look SO old!? {sigh}

Daddy did great for the most part. He was sad and had many second thoughts like I did, but knew (like I did) that it was the best thing for her right now. {Just look at how she adores her Daddy!}

And then there's Mommy... I may look fine here, but I was running on adrenaline to get her to school at this point. I even made the comment to Mark on the way that I couldn't believe that I was doing so well. Of course that was all ruined by pulling into the school's parking lot.

{Dunt. Dunt. Duh.}

I thought that maybe, just maybe I had gotten it all out the night before when I laid with her as she slept in bed. Not so. Of course you still need to act excited and happy for your child, so I wasn't going to cry until after she got out of the truck. Well, long story still long but shorter now, after walking her to her classroom (which I was NOT expecting to do...), I got in the truck and cried. A little, and then a lot when nursing the baby to sleep after getting home. (Thank goodness I put on my waterproof mascara that gets applied, oh, maybe twice a year!)

Now a week later, she's still doing great and loving it! I haven't been sad since the first day either. It was just a matter of getting through it. Isn't that always the case with the many milestones and firsts of your child's life?

Believe!

2009-08-20T11:54:00.002-04:00

If anybody doesn't believe that Brigham's really one (it's still hard for me!), just check out this picture. Proof enough, huh!? He hangs around the fireplace approximately half the day. I have to pluck him down from standing on it approximately 400 times a day. I believe that this is classic one-year-old behavior at its best. Maybe it's the genes, or maybe I just have to stop putting that crazy "little monster" pj shirt on him. I think the idea is starting to seep into his brain, and we all know that he's nowhere near a little monster. Quite the opposite really. So, there you have it... Proof. Now please excuse my while I go do some monster plucking off my hearth. No joke.

To-Do Tuesday

2009-08-18T12:23:00.001-04:00

I haven't done a To-Do Tuesday in a long time, so I guess it's time for one! Nothing is really exciting this week, as it's more of the usual. I do really need to get the kids' closets organized, though, so I can pack up some of last season's clothes to make way for fall and winter clothes. I love the freshness of the closets with the new season's clothes but loathe yanking out bins from our old-house-tiny-crazy-shaped closets. This is one of my most dreaded jobs as a mama! Bella and I are also on a mission to get her thank-yous out from her friend party 2 1/2 weeks ago. (I know... tsk, tsk!) Then just some ~~la, la, la, la, la, la not thinking about it...~~ school paperwork to do for the kids. What are you doing this week!?

Blueberry Birthday

2009-08-15T15:22:00.010-04:00

Ah, sweet Brigham... Just like the berries from your morning pancakes today, your love oozes all over us. With a lot of sweet and just the right amount of tart, you've been the perfect addition to our brood since the day you were born.

I don't think words can describe how special of a little boy you are. We all adore you and can't wait to explore, discover, and teach you more new things this year. And just for the record, even though you're technically now a toddler and no longer a baby, you'll always be my Baby Briggs...

Happy 1st Birthday, Brigham Isaac!

{We love you!}

Ingenious

2009-08-14T11:28:00.008-04:00

The kids were sporting their ~~bed blankets~~ capes the other day while playing outside, and this is what I found when I peeked out the window to check on them.

Superman's gotta fly, you know!

Leave it to our Lincoln to figure this out. I know that I'm partial, but I dare you to disagree that this is the most imaginative young-three-year-old that you've ever seen! ;) This is our child that weed whips with a stick every.single.day.

{Oh, and check out #2 on the playlist below to see what Lincoln's favorite song is now. How he loves his tractors!}

Mother of All Forts

2009-08-13T10:57:00.010-04:00

The kids wanted me to build a house {Fort} this morning. Yippe! It's been a while since I've built one, as I think they've forgotten just how good mommy is at building them. ;) (I'll have to remember to add "master fort builder" to my mommy resume...)

{Insert chest puffing}

Bella had the request for me to build not only a house, but a school too. I sent the little rascals outside to play so I could surprise them when I was done. "It's huge!", Bella squealed with delight. Yes, yes it is.

{Insert proud head nodding}

Mark and I also have a friendly little competition going on when it comes to constructing forts. He dares to think that he can even keep up with me. Silly. I have just one question... So, Honey, how do you like me now?!

Not So Snappy

2009-08-06T23:32:00.007-04:00

Here I sit at the computer. {11:32 P.M.} I'm tired and want to go to bed but can't. You see I'm uploading as many as I can of my quadzillion old pictures onto Snapfish before 12 midnight to take advantage of the free shipping offer. A quadzillion pictures would cost a lot to ship, you know. I've been meaning to do this for a.long.time. (Remember many, many posts ago??) I'm not very good at keeping my pictures organized. Ahem. It's not going smoothly either to say the least. The computers are freezing up (yes, both the desktop & laptop), the baby's been awake twice in the last ten minutes, and I'm trying to type this now as my last pictures are downloading and the letter "m" is sticking. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm {See.} Ah, Brigham's crying again...

{Insert minimal sleep}

Okay, now it's morning. {9:34 A.M.} As you can see, I didn't get my post done last night when I started it. Long story. When I went to submit my final order of 2102 prints at 11:59 P.M. an error occurred. Needless to say, my cart was messed up, my prepaids messed up, and I now have approximately 0 prints shipping to me at this point. This is after spending hours on this project. {Lovely} I am not happy tosaytheleast. Snapfish, no. Snailfish, better. (I must say that I've never had a problem with them until last night. Just this one minor problem... Rolleyes.)

Off to try again. Pray for me.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-05T14:44:00.003-04:00

Don't Blink

2009-07-25T07:27:00.016-04:00

Ah, it seems like just yesterday that you decided to make an early appearance. (Four weeks early!) Mommy and Daddy weren't ready for you in the sense of having all of your clothes and gear ready, but oh, we were ready for you! So ready that it was hard leaving you for six days without bringing you home with us. Then, we had never been so excited, happy, or scared walking through the door at home with you our tiny, barely 5-pound peanut.

In a blink, six months went by. I remember holding you before bedtime one night after your six-month birthday. I remember so vividly where we were sitting, what I was thinking, and that it was just the two of us. (Daddy was at work...) I wanted to remember forever what was racing through my head at that moment. I wanted you to know too. In the dim light of the TV glow, I wrote you a letter as I cried while you slept next to me. It's nothing fancy, just scribbled on a piece of computer paper, folded, and kept in a box. When you're older I'll give it to you, but for now on your milestone 5th birthday, I'll share just a bit...

January 26, 2005

...I cry because I love you so much it hurts, because I wonder where the past 6 months have gone and how you've grown so big without more than a moment it seems passing, and because I can't imagine life without you now....

...I have to wonder if you'll ever know, though, how much I really love being you mommy and how much joy you've brought to me in six short months. I can't believe this is my life- you're my life...

...I thank God for you as I kiss you goodnight again.

I love you, Isabella Grace, always. Mommy

Wow, six months seemed to pass so quickly then. Now, 5 Years have gone by in the same amount of time, "without more than a moment it seems passing". It's a bit of a flashback now, sitting and writing my thoughts to you with tears streaming down my face. Only this time, the words are on a computer screen, not computer paper...

We're happy and excited that you're growing older into a wonderful little girl and amazed at all you do now. We think you'll understand, though, how bittersweet it is when you have a daughter or son of your own and wonder how 5 years went by in the blink of an eye.

Happy 5th Birthday!

We love you, Isabella Grace, always.

Daddy & Mommy

Vigilance Saves Lives

2009-07-22T09:48:00.004-04:00

Yesterday Darcie over at "Such the Spot" posted an emotional recount of an incident that happened to her family last week. Please click on the button above to remind yourself that you can never be too careful...

From the Mouths of Babes...

2009-07-21T15:03:00.008-04:00

Sitting on Mark's lap in church on Sunday was chatty little Lincoln... He was giving us sugar, since he's such a little lover lately always telling us that "Me love you in the whole wide world" while kissing and hugging away. He then asked us, "Why did you make me?" In reply we gave the first answer that came to mind about wanting a special little boy to love. He asked a couple more times and after another couple of the same answers, he was finally happy. This again, mind you was all being "whispered" through church as quietly as a just-newly-three-year-old can do. Hugging and kissing continues for a few minutes.

"Where did you make me?"

Huh!? Did he just say what I think he did in church? Ohyeshedid.

"Where did you make me? Where did you make me?!"

Mark and I were shaking the whole pew from laughing so hard. Thankfully we were in our usual last pew location, as it's just a given that all families with small children sit in the back trying to contain the dull roar of the many small children. (Other than the one family that sits half way up that we think drugs their children to sit completely still in their parents' laps with their hands folded, but that's neither here nor there now...) But since the sanctuary is so small, we wonder who else, if anyone heard it. If so, they got a chuckle just like we did! :)

Fast forward to today. Bella this morning had her own notable quote to file to memory. While cleaning the kitchen, I had Mark scraping the top of the glass cook top trying to loosen the many petrified, blackened overflows from the day before.

"Who's coming to our house?" Bella said as she walked into the kitchen.

{Lovely}

Mark burst out laughing, as he knows one of the things that pushes my buttons is acusing me of cleaning only when company is coming. (Which is so. not. true. by they way...) I kept scrubbing the pans at the sink, pretending not to hear her.

"Did you hear her?!" Mark roared.

"Yes, Mark." Whatever.

I love the things our kids say that are so funny, innocent, and classic. Even if it's a bit too forward or truthful sometimes... ;)

What's Cookin'?

2009-07-19T17:44:00.013-04:00

This is what's on our stovetop right now...

Mark's at home today, so of course he's cooking something! :) Do you want to know what it is?

{insert suspense}

Man, does it smell great in here!

{inhale}

These pots have been on the stove for a few hours already, and in a few more hours he'll strain everything out and then be able to freeze quite a few containers to have for future use.

How am I so blessed to have a husband that always wants to cook!? I've kind of gotten spoiled when it comes to not cooking too much. I always joke that I don't eat when he's at work. But hey, I eat great when he's home!

Oh, and did I mention what he's making for supper tonight?

Only my favorite chicken enchiladas with homemade roasted tomatillo-chile verde! We'll see if my legs can carry my belly up to bed tonight... ;)

One More Month...

2009-07-16T09:12:00.007-04:00

As of yesterday, another month has fallen off of the calendar in your first year as part of our family.

{11 Months Old Now!}

Seems like just yesterday that you came home. You certainly weren't climbing yet...

...or proudly sipping out of your very own straw cup...

...and certainly not a little unsure and guilty about being somewhere you weren't supposed to be! {How can you not love that face!?}

Only one more month, LiTtLe MonKeY.
Only one. more. month...

To-Do Tuesday

2009-07-14T18:23:00.004-04:00

Well, seems as though to-doing too many errands this morning and afternoon left me short of time to post my to-do list for this week until now! No biggie since half of my stuff is just carried over from last week anyways. {Lovely.} There were just too many other things occupying my time to get to cleaning the refrigerator and freezer. Darn. {Why is it that that is one of the jobs always put off?} Anyways, I did get a few things done on the list last week. And yes, the shower thankfully was one of them... ;)

Harleys & Tutus

2009-07-11T11:43:00.010-04:00

Lincoln was happily playing with his new Harleys from Gee and Paw Paw before nap the other day. He's such a boy, always has been. But my little man also had some bling on his finger...

A dainty yellow butterfly ring to go with his princess gown and tutu.

Oh, Lincoln, you're already the strong and sensitive type. The perfect balance between all things boy with a dash of glammer to keep things interesting...

Fun, Family, Fireworks

2009-07-08T08:00:00.012-04:00

Over the 4th of July weekend we were excited to host a little get-together with family at our house! Mark had suggested that we invite family to make the three hour trip for a weekend of tent camping, yummy food & drinks, and fireworks.

On Friday both Mark's special margaritas and the sparklers lit us up! (Just kidding, only the sparklers... ;) The awesome fireworks watched from our deck and s'mores before bed was a perfect way to end the night. Most everybody camped out in the tents, but Idecided that I'd stay inside with Brigham. Not so sure that everybody wanted to be woken up every few hours!

Saturday was spent enjoying more good food and drinks and catching up. The kids all played so well together, and Lincoln was even allowed to tag along with the three girl cousins most of the time. We also celebrated Ella's 8th birthday with a party complete with cake, presents, and a pinata!

Then as quickly as everybody arrived, it seemed like Sunday came way. too. fast... Before we knew it, the weekend was over and it was time for everybody to head back home. We did take a nice hike and have lunch at the market before heading our separate ways, though.

Overall, we were blessed with a wonderful weekend to reconnect and spend time together without rushing. We had so much fun, both the kids and grown-ups!

To-Do Tuesday

2009-07-07T09:45:00.005-04:00

Well, here's my first

weekly "To-Do Tuesday"

list. This is off the top of

my head for the week,

not just today. My

expectations aren't that high,

but then again showering

is a big deal, hence the top spot.

I wish that I could skip

#5, 6, & 7, but better not.

Wishing you a productive

week! As for me,

I'm off to savor that shower

while the baby sleeps... ;)

What a Blow...

2009-07-06T08:49:00.009-04:00

I read this post by Stephanie over at her awesome blog Adventures in Babywearing and it moved me. It made me realize all. over. again. that I have my own Boom, Boom, Pow. Oh, how my heart aches just thinking about this all...

My first baby Isabella turns FIVE in a few weeks and will be leaving for kindergarten this fall.

Boom.

My second baby Lincoln starts preschool this fall.

Boom.

My baby, baby Brigham turns ONE in just over a month.

Pow.

All within less than two months.

Ouch.

It's a Boy Thing

2009-07-02T10:30:00.004-04:00

To-Do Tuesday

2009-07-01T18:34:00.014-04:00

So, what do you think? Do you like my new idea!? I've been lovin' my new uber-cute magnetic to-do pad from Target's $1 section, and in turn it gave me this fab idea today! (No, I haven't been to Target twice {or was it three times...} already this week for all of those who know what a Tar-jay junkie I am. Sheesh.) Anywho, I wonder if this will end up being just a fun "easy out" blog post for the week or something that actually makes me more productive. (Oh, wait. Did I just say "blog" and "productive" in the same sentence? Nevermind then...) Anywho again, either way it will be something weekly that's different than anything I've done before. And fun too, I hope! And yes, I know that I'm posting this on Wednesday a day late, but I can't help that I didn't come up with this brilliant idea yesterday. (Or was I six days early!? Wow, I'm getting sidetracked a lot tonight...) So, see you on Tuesday! :)

Is This Where I Draw the Line?

2009-07-01T11:51:00.018-04:00

Okay, remember how my last post about Bella was in a way a reminder to let her be a kid, get dirty, and have fun? Well, now I'm wondering to what extent. She was happily playing outside in the backyard just now, and of course I check on the big kids when they're out every couple of minutes. Last I checked she was on the swing. Great! Phone rings, I'm chatting, and a few minutes later Bella comes in with wet hair. No wet clothes or body parts, just complete wet and dripping hair. {Hmm, okay...} She's so proud of messing herself up like always, so I kind of let it slide until I got off the phone.

"Bella, why is your hair wet?"

"I don't know."

{Upon closer inspection I now see a "halo" of dirt around her forehead hairline....Lightbulb moment.}

"Bella, did. you. stick. your. whole.head. in. the. bird. bath!?"

"Mmm, hmm."

Ugh, {lovely}. Granted, we just put the bird bath in the back yard a few days ago and haven't seen a bird use it yet, but I really wanted to scare her from doing it again. I mean, gross, right!?

{in my best serious, preachy voice with eyebrows raised...} "You know, Bella, that if there are birds in their bath they'll poop in there. Remember when Lincoln was a baby and pooped in the bath with you once? Mmmm Hmm. Get it?"

"Oh, okay."

Do you think she got the message? I doubt it too... ;)

Let Them Be Dirty...

2009-06-27T15:19:00.008-04:00

Bella loves being dirty. Paint, mud, mulch, cookie dough... You name it, she likes to spread as much as possible all over herself. She was playing in the sprinkler the other day and this is what it turned into... Finding a nice low spot in the mulch and creating a mud hole to wallow in made.her.day. Even though it takes an extra good bath to shine her up again, I try to remember that these are the things that she'll remember. Still talking about "...remember when, Mommy..." moments of being covered from head-to-toe in mud from afternoons that happened two years ago confirm this. So, note to self... Let them be little. Let them be dirty.

RN, BSN...

2009-06-25T16:00:00.007-04:00

I just wanted to put a shout out letting you all know that Mark is done with school (for now) and has just graduated with his BSN (Bachelor's of Science in Nursing)! Of course this post wouldn't be complete without some slight ego stroking, so I'm gonna go ahead and let you in on the little 4.0 secret. Yep, he did it with a 4.0 GPA too! Although he's not going to a ceremony, I think there is a little bit of anticipation to receive some special honor-tassle-thingys in the mail with his degree. Way to go on some more letters behind your name, Honey! You're on your way to *the* letters CRNA! ;)

By Your Side

2009-06-17T20:09:00.006-04:00

Six years have gone by in a blink. If only we knew then the journey that we were beginning...

Two towns.

One apartment.

One house.

One Home.

One job change.

One dog.

{One Daughter.}

{Two Sons.}

I can't wait to see what the next six years bring our way. I. can't. wait. I love you, Honey!

{Happy Anniversary again, Mom & Dad. 40 Years!}

Can You Believe It!?

2009-06-17T14:29:00.010-04:00

Brigham is 10 months old now! What!? This is just not fair. We are way. too. close. to one year old, and I just can't believe it. We love him more and more every day...

His bright blue eyes.
His blond, blond hair with a few tiny curls in the back.
His furrowed brow and sucked-in lip when he's being serious.
His dimpled-cheek and fang teeth when not.
His chub.

You were the perfect addition to our brood, Sweet Briggs!

So Much For...

2009-06-17T14:17:00.007-04:00

Lincoln has always been a climber.

Especially when there are kitchen counters involved.

And food.

So...

So much for that yummy Amish-made pie we got from the market yesterday. *sigh*

Bliss.

2009-06-13T15:17:00.004-04:00

Did you ever know that my favorite flowers of all were peonies? Pure Bliss.

Bittersweet

2009-06-09T20:50:00.003-04:00

What a bittersweet day it was... Bella has graduated from preschool. It was a beautiful day, and we had so much fun at the family picnic and ceremony! I can't believe that the last two years of preschool went by in a flash. I tried not to cry as I dropped her off for her last day. Thankfully, Lincoln will be there next fall, so it wasn't a "goodbye". Not so thankfully, though, Lincoln will be there next fall... :( Congratulations on your graduation, Princess! We're proud of you!

Whooooooohhh...

2009-06-05T11:06:00.015-04:00

In honor of Mark, his 10-year-old-52-mile-per-gallon Jetta TDI (that's Turbo Diesel, though I'd say it's more diesel than turbo...), and our favorite commercial, I thought I'd post this for you all. I can't get enough of it! Hee, hee... Enjoy, Honey! (And I'm sorry in advance if I stepped on anybody's hybrid toes...) Oh, and don't forget to pause the playlist below too. It's not near as funny with Brad Paisley singing a ballad in the background. I tried.

Just a Few More...

2009-06-04T15:39:00.005-04:00

I just wanted to post a few more pictures of the River Walk, since it was so lovely there. What a great place to capture some memories! :)

Tell me that this wouldn't freak all of you mommies out!

Mommy and the babes under one of the many bridges.

This walkway was so neat! The water flowed through the stepping stones from a waterfall into the river.

I love this shot with huge American and Texan flags in the background that were hung from one of the historic buildings.

Taking a breather...

Roaming the River Walk

2009-06-04T15:11:00.011-04:00

I'm finally getting around to getting a few San Antonio pictures up! It's been a month since we've been there, so I guess it's probably time to let up on the suspense a bit. :) Here are some of the River Walk. We were able to go on two separate days and loved the beauty and vibe of it. It's so peaceful, yet buzzing with activity thanks to the restaurants and shops. Letting the kids walk so closely to the water scared the snot out of me, but luckily Daddy and I were able to corral them well enough that I only had a few "freak out" moments!

We did get to take a cruise on one of the many tour boats.

Bella means beautiful!

I love this picture!

People were very friendly, asking if we would like a family picture taken as they passed by. We got a few taken... Yeah!

Hold on tight, Daddy!

Lincoln is THREE!

2009-05-15T11:34:00.012-04:00

Lincoln turned 3 on May 9th, and I just can't believe it! (Does it not seem like I was just posting about his Bob the Builder 2nd birthday party!?) Out of all three of the kids, he's the one that seems should still be my "baby". Maybe it's part of the whole "middle-child" curse, and I'm missing half of his life or something... Well, anyways, his birthday fell while we were in San Antonio so we actually got to have a bit of a special day for him. We headed downtown to the Riverwalk in the morning for some exploring and then lunch at Rainforest Cafe. The atmosphere there is so fun for little ones and actually quite enjoyable for adults too. (Not sure I can say the same for Chuck E. Cheese for Bella's last birthday... *wink*) We sat in a huge booth where the kids happily bounced around while drinking their special smoothies and munching on dino-shaped chicken nuggets. After eating Lincoln was quite embarrassed as the staff made a singing-clapping-whooping big deal, but didn't seem to mind when they sat the sundae in front of him! In the evening we grilled hot dogs and had a picnic at the resort at one of their picnic areas. The day was wrapped up with an Oreo cake presented with an unlit "3" candle. (Seems that we didn't think of not having a lighter or matches when the candle was bought. Mark, being the resourceful guy that he is -keyword guy- tried lighting it from the stove with an ashen paper towel. This was unsuccessful, but thankfully Lincoln didn't mind...) In the end, I think our birthday boy had a great day! :)

Waiting for Rainforst Cafe to open

Enjoying his birthday sundae!

Our evening picnic

Yummy Oreo cake with a "special" birthday candle ;)

Happy *3rd* Birthday, Lincoln Noah!!