Blue Skies From Now On

Random

2012-01-30T14:27:00.000-05:00

:: It's Baby Week! I can't believe that on Thursday we'll have 2 little girls. Crazy!

:: I think I'm ready for all that Thursday holds. I'm getting a little nervous about the surgery, but I think that's completely normal. I know the surgery shouldn't be bad, but mentally I keep playing my last c-section through my mind and everything seems so much larger now. I'm trying not to think about it too much.

:: I'm pretty excited that come Thursday, if everything goes well and is on time, I should be snuggling my sweet baby by 9:00am!

:: Hubby has a new work schedule and it has been wonderful!! He works from 6:15am - 4:15pm...which means he's home by 4:45 every afternoon! We love it so far and I'm sure it be so nice once he goes back to work after the baby arrives.

:: I had my last OB appt this morning. Everything looked good. I was having contractions during the NST, and they said if I start having them more frequently to call. I'm pretty sure my body is no where near going in to labor!

:: My final weigh-in this pregnancy was 17 lbs gained! Woo hoo!

:: I keep wondering how much this baby is going to weigh! We know she will be bigger than EJ was at 6 lb, 10oz. Every time my doctor feels my belly, she comments that "this one is going to be bigger than the first". I have NO idea what that means! I think she'll weigh in at no more than 9 lbs.

:: I'm so glad that I've decided to have a c-section again. I was talking with a girl at a baby shower I went to yesterday and she has to make the same decision regarding a c-section vs. a VBAC. Her doctor told her to think about it this way...you already have a scar, why possibly mess up a different part of your body? Completely made sense to me! :)

:: I have to pack my bags for the hospital and EJ's clothes for going to grandma's, but other than that we are pretty much ready. We do need to get another baby monitor, but I'm waiting for a coupon to come in the mail. It doesn't look like we'll have it before we get home, but it's OK. The baby will be in her bassinet in our room for a few weeks so we'll hear her.

:: I made my last trip to the grocery store today. I've been trying to get some meals made and frozen so I don't have to cook so much. I made these freezer burritos on Saturday that we'll be able to have for lunches and/or dinners. They smelled amazing as I was putting them together. We are dying to try them, but we are waiting until we get home from the hospital :)

Home Stretch

2012-01-20T13:08:00.000-05:00

13 more days!

My c-section has been scheduled for Thursday, 2.2.12, at 7:30am!

I'm excited because the doctor who I wanted to perform the surgery is going to be able to even though it wasn't her day on-call.

I just got off the phone with the anesthesia nurse at the hospital and we went over what happened with my last section. I was pretty nauseous and sick during the last procedure, so hopefully this time will be MUCH better!

I've started getting all my lists together of what needs to be done in the next 2 weeks. Just about everything is already done...it's mainly packing my bag and getting everything together for EJ.

I really want to spend a lot of time with EJ over the next 2 weeks before her little world is changed forever. I'm going to miss her like crazy when I'm at the hospital, but I know she'll be in good hands with grandparents and they'll bring her to the hospital to see us.

I have told her that she may NOT start walking while I'm in the hospital!! I realized the other day that if she starts walking when I'm not there and I'm so emotional from having the baby....mommy will not take that news very well and will probably melt down from her little girl growing up too fast! :)

I'm sure EJ will look like she's about 4 years old when she comes in to meet the baby. *sniff,sniff*

I really can't believe how quickly this pregnancy has flown by!

Morning at the Office

2012-01-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

EJ got a "laptop" for Christmas. She sits at her little table with her little laptop and juice and it just cracks us up!

It's her little morning at the office. :)

What I'm Loving

2012-01-17T15:30:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since I posted some things that I'm loving right now. I started thinking about it the other day and I finally have time to get a post written about it!

1. This is definitely a weird pregnancy love thing! Usually 7-Up reminds me of having the flu, but for some reason these days I'm loving Diet Cherry 7-Up!

2. Sperry's. This is usually a love or hate for people. It took me a LONG time to decide that I would go with this look. The comfort won me over immediately, but the look took a while for me to get used to. Since being pregnant and hauling around a toddler, these days I prefer comfort over anything! These have been worth every penny this pregnancy!

3. I sometimes call this "My Precious". Oh, how naive I was to think I didn't want a k1ndle. Instead, I wanted to hold a bulky book in my hands and so I put it off for years. What a mistake! I've owned my k1ndle touch for less than a month and I'm in love!! Plus, I love that there are free books on the k1ndle store every day! I've even downloaded the ESV Bible and use this at church. Since it's lighter than my Bible, it's easy to toss it in my purse. (Yes, I felt extremely weird the first time I used it in church...but I've gotten over it!)

4. Love, love, love this!! The Cuis1nart Keur1g coffee maker. This little machine is amazing!! I love that it has a feature for instant hot water. Hot tea, hot chocolate, and hot apple cider without waiting for water to boil. I love the My-K cup as well for coffee. Love this!! Plus, it's pretty on my kitchen counter :)

5. I love candles and this is one of my favorite scents. My mom gave me this scent last year and we burned the entire candle in 2 weeks! It's that good! She gave me the same scent again this year and we're taking our time burning it :)

Baby Shower

2012-01-16T20:29:00.000-05:00

Phew! We had a busy, busy weekend!

My sister, my cousin, and I hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law on Saturday morning. It was a drop-in shower at the clubhouse in my neighborhood.

We didn't have a theme, but the colors were mainly pink & green.

Last week we completely changed the entire menu that we had planned over a month ago, but it was the right decision. Our original menu consisted of a lot of brunch foods, but we decided to go lighter and thankfully we did because we still ended up with a lot of food at the end.

We had two food tables set up on separate walls. This table had fresh pineapple & grapes with fruit dip; vanilla yogurt with granola & dried fruit; and a topiary made with blueberry & chocolate donut holes.

My aunt made the ribbon topiary that my SIL took home for the nursery.

Cute cake that tasted amazing!

We had cherry limeade to go with the pink & green theme. This is the yummiest punch and I love to make it when I have a lot of people over.

The other food table had mini ham & cheese with poppyseeds buns and pink & green chocolate covered pretzels.

Yelena opening her gifts.

36 Weeks Update

2012-01-13T17:15:00.000-05:00

We are SO very close to meeting our little girl. And I think she's ready to meet us! There are times I feel like she's going to pop right through my skin because she is definitely running out of room!

I had an ultrasound this morning to check her size. My mom came with me to watch EJ and it was fun to have her there to see the baby as well. The baby is weighing in around 6lb, 8oz. I was a little surprised because EJ weighed 6lb, 10 oz when she was born. I know it's not definite, especially since they told us a few days before I had EJ that she weighed over 7 lbs.

Little baby girl finally moved to the head down position. She was really, really low! The tech had a really hard time getting a look at her face since she's so far down, so we didn't get any pics of her face this time. We did find out that she has hair. Little pieces sticking out off her head :)

I decided this past week that I'm going to have a scheduled c-section instead of trying for a VBAC. After much thought, prayer, and advice from other moms who have been there, we really felt this was the best choice for us. I told my doctor this morning and she said we can pick any day from February 1 -8. I'm going to wait to see what dates they have and which doctors are on call before we make our decision. I do think 2.2.12 would be a fun birthday though.

I'm pretty excited that I've only gained 16 lbs! My doctor was really happy with that number and so was I! I think I gained around 30-35 lbs with EJ. I can tell a HUGE (ha!) difference this time. I'm not swollen or puffy, but I do have the cooler weather to thank for that...I think.

2.5 weeks to go!!

GD Update

2012-01-04T11:41:00.000-05:00

I wanted to do a quick update on the gestational diabetes for my own memory.

I went in today and was talking with the nurse about how easy this pregnancy has been even with GD.

I am on 56 units of insulin (10 at dinner & 46 at bedtime - 5 injections total for the day). At this point last pregnancy (35 weeks), I was on 156 units of insulin! I was doing about 15 injections each day in addition to the 4 times I pricked my finger to test my sugars...I was a living pin cushion!

This time has been SO much easier because I'm on the medication Metf0rmin. I'm hoping they keep me on the medication after I deliver because it has been shown to really increase your milk supply as well. Since I had such a difficult time with EJ, I planning on begging the doctor to keep me on the meds :)

I go back in 2 weeks for my hospital orders (the paperwork that tells the hospital how much insulin I'm on and what my diet is).

We're getting so close...only 4 weeks to go!

15 Months

2012-01-02T09:30:00.003-05:00

This post is a few days late, but better late than never!

EJ,

You are 15 months old!! How time is flying! This time next month you will be a big sister(or a fews days from it!)...crazy! You are still so small to us :)

Every morning you wake up and look more and more like a little girl instead of a baby.

Here's what you're up to...

You have 11 teeth...and 2 more are coming in. You have started smiling really big, cheesy smiles that show all your pearly whites.

You wear size 12 month & 18 month clothes. Size 4 diaper.

You weighed 21 lbs at your doctor sick visit two weeks ago.

You sleep from 7:30pm - 7:30am. You are still taking two naps; one in the late morning and one in the late afternoon. I hope you keep this up after the baby arrives!

You have to have your baby bear ("babeeee beh") & rabbit ("rah-rit") with you when you sleep ("nigh-nigh").

You still aren't walking on your own yet, but yesterday you took 3 steps on your own! I guess walking is your New Year's resolution :) So many people tell me to be thankful that you're not walking yet because you will be all over when you do. However, mommy really wants you to be able to walk on your own by the time your little sister arrives...I think.

You love our dog, Bella. Every morning we get her out of her crate and put her outside. You say "bell-ba" over and over and then bang on the back door once she's in the yard.

You love to play with your tea party set. You bring me the pot and tea cup and then "pour" me a cup of tea. It's so sweet!

You LOVE music! You dance & sing anytime you hear music. You've started banging on the piano too. Daddy sits you on his lap and you play a concert and sing for us every night. He puts a hymnal out and you "play" a song then turn the pages and "play" another.

Your favorite phrase is "wow! wow! WOW!" You use it all the time and it's always in the correct context. It really makes us laugh!

You have gotten picky about food, but you love scrambled eggs, yogurt, waffles ("waf-wahs"), and grilled cheese ("gill cheese").

You try to repeat any word we say. Two weeks ago, you actually said your name!!! Ashley was at our house and she heard it too. You only said it once and I don't think I would have believed it if Ash hadn't heard it as well. It was clear as a bell and we were SHOCKED!

You love to go to nursery at church. Every Sunday the nursery workers say how great you are and how much you love to play. It makes us so happy!

We've been telling you that there is a baby in Mommy's tummy. You have just started coming up to my belly, poking me, and saying "baby". I know you don't have a clue what we are talking about and your world is about to be rocked, but it's so precious!!

Speaking of baby, you got a little mommy set for Christmas and it's so fun to watch you be a little mommy. You love to push your baby in the stroller, then you put her in the swing, and feed her with the spoon and bottle. Then you get bored and start trying to drink out of the bottle :)

Every morning when I have my coffee, you sniff the air until I let you smell what's in the mug. Every time you smell it and then scrunch your nose up and shake your head no. Every time.

EJ, you are such a joy and Daddy & Mommy love you so much!! We are soaking up these last few weeks of having only you to ourselves!!

Book I Read in 2011

2011-12-29T06:00:00.005-05:00

This list is less than thrilling...only 6 books in one year. But, I still want to document them because I like to keep track of what I've read.

I've really come to enjoy biographies & autobiographies. There is something about reading about someone's life that is fascinating to me...or maybe I'm just nosy :)

I had some Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket, and I broke down and bought myself a Kind1e yesterday. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I'm such a "free" library book girl that I hate to pay for books on a kind1e. I've decided I can use all those swagbucks I've earned for books! Plus, our library book is going to offer ebooks starting in January!

Mommywood by Tori Spelling -- completely trivial, Hollywood fluff

In An Instant by Bob and Lee Woodruff -- autobiography; I always enjoyed Bob Woodruff as a reporter on G00d Morning America and was so sad to hear of his accident.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett -- hands down THE BEST book I read in 2011. I read it early in the year and it still sticks with me. Even if you are not a reader, read this book!! You will not be disappointed!

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen -- I still am not sure what I thought of this book. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I haven't seen the movie because my feelings on the book were so blah. I'm not sure what I'm missing that everyone else loved.

The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain -- just a book I picked up at the library. It was ok.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory -- loved this book! My first book by Philippa Gregory and she didn't disappoint! I loved the time period and all the details in this book.

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas Dress

2011-12-28T06:00:00.004-05:00

Twins...Sort Of

2011-12-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

My dad took pictures of me & my sister-in-law, Yelena, on Christmas Day.

She is 31 weeks pregnant and I'm 33 weeks.

She looks like she's carrying a grapefruit, and I look like I'm carrying 2 basketballs! :)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T11:15:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas weekend!! It was very busy, but fun! Even with a sick baby (ear infection & croup) and a sick mommy (cough & cold) we made it to all our family events and had a great time! And we still have more...tonight we're celebrating with Hubby's side of the family.

Not to be a scrooge, but as of 8:30 this morning all our decorations were packed up and put away...it's time for us to get ready for the new baby!

There are a LOT of pictures in this post, but I decided instead of breaking up the days I'm putting them all together.

Christmas Eve Morning

We started out the day with brunch & gift exchange at my parent's house. It was a fun time with my parents, my sister, my brother & sister-in-law, and my brother and his girlfriend.

My mom made a brunch FEAST! Egg & sausage casserole, baked french toast, make-your-own waffle bar, spiced fruit, bacon, coffee cake, and muffins. It was enough to last us the entire weekend! :)

We had a concert from this cutie before breakfast. She loves to play the piano and sing along.

EJ with Aunt Kelly

EJ & Uncle Kurt

The fun part...opening her gifts!

Christmas Eve

It's a family tradition that we go to my Grandma's house on Christmas Eve. Everyone brings an appetizer (or 2) and this year was just ridiculous!!!

Look at all this food!! Wings, chick-f1l-a nuggets, 7 dips, pretzel bites, ham sandwiches, fruit tray...SO much food

Ashley, Kelly, MaryKaren, & Kurt

Checking out her silver tea set

Christmas Day

Christmas morning we opened our gifts & stockings as our little family of 3. It was so much fun to see EJ dig in her stocking and pull out each toy.

We went to church and then to my parent's house for Christmas lunch. I wanted so badly to get a picture of EJ in her Christmas dress after church, but there was a, um, diaper situation and the picture will have to wait until tonight :)

Dining table

EJ & Daddy

After lunch we broke out Just Dance 3.

Dance, dance, dance

Finally, to end our day we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and had LOTS of birthday cake and dessert

It was such a wonderful holiday season!! We are so thankful for His gift to us. I don't know many times we talked to EJ about Jesus' birthday...how I pray that she comes to the understanding of exactly what we are telling her.

Office Christmas Party

2011-12-20T17:36:00.001-05:00

Today has been much better with the contractions. I rested a lot yesterday and they were still pretty consistant. My doctor only told me to call if I had more than 4 in one hour. I've been taking it slow today and drinking lots of water. They have definitely slowed down. I usually only have one when I'm standing. Pretty much what I've been having all along this pregnancy.

In other news, poor EJ is coming down with a cold on Christmas week. Hubby is finally getting over one, but it looks like he may have passed it on :( She woke up from her morning nap with a stuffy, runny nose and watery eyes. Bless her heart. I hate it when she can't breathe! I wish I could teach her how to blow her nose so she can breathe better!

Last night was Hubby's office Christmas party. It was our first year attending, although Hubby had gone a few times before we met. I've wanted to go in the past, but it has never worked out. Of course, with everything that was going on yesterday we had to wait and see how I felt. Thankfully, I was able to go and it was very low-key...just a dinner.

The party was held at a very nice retirement center. One of their buildings has a large dining room (separate from the residents) and served an amazing meal. I was able to meet some of his co-workers and Hubby was able to show off EJ. :)

(These pictures are off my iPh0ne so they aren't the best)

Eating her empty ice cream cone. It's the little things that keep her occupied so we can actually enjoy our meal :)

Hubby's co-worker/friend dresses as Santa every year. We don't do Santa so EJ has never really seen him. She was fascinated. She held Hubby's hand and kept creeping closer and closer.

When the line died down, Hubby took her over and put her on Santa's lap. Her bottom lip immediately came out, she reached for Hubby and started screaming!! She usually will go to anyone...I guess Santa was only fascinating from a distance.

Keeping an eye on the man in the red suit! I love the pouty lip.

Our little family. EJ's expression is priceless!

Wiggle Worm, NST, & Contractions

2011-12-19T16:54:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday was my first non-stress test (NST) for this pregnancy.

They are so easy. You just get hooked up to the monitor, lay back for 20-30 minutes, and hit the button every time you feel the baby move. Simple and relaxing.

Because of the insulin, I have to go once a week to the OB for an NST from weeks 32 - 35. Week 36, I start going twice a week for NST's until I deliver.

This morning was my normal NST visit. I got to the office and the baby was moving like crazy. As usual.

Sidenote: Honestly, I'm a little scared of this child who has yet to be born. She is a mover! EJ was so calm when she was in my tummy. It was weird how shy she would get during every NST -- it's like she knew what was going on and quit moving as soon as I got the monitor hooked up. Her calmness extended outside of the womb to a very laid-back, sweet tempered baby. This baby, however, moves SO much that I'm slightly scared at the wild child I may be carrying!!

Anyway, I get comfy and situated on the table and the nurse put the monitors on my belly to get the baby's heart rate. She catches it for a second and then it's gone. This goes on for about 5 minutes! The nurse is practically chasing the baby around my belly looking for her heart rate. It's like the baby is playing chase and keeps moving just out of her reach.

Finally we get her where she needs to be and I lay back to monitor every movement I feel.

This NST chart (below) shows just how much this child moved. The graph on the left is her heart rate. The tick marks in the middle are the movements I felt. I think this was over a 15 minute period.

Usually, after the NST, I see my doctor who does a quick belly measure and I'm done.

The nurse put me in the room and told me the dr would be in to measure soon. A few minutes later the nurse comes back and tells me the doctor will need to actually examine me because of the contractions I was having. I looked at her kind of funny and she asked, "You didn't feel any of those contractions you were having?"

Um, nope. The doctor comes into the room and says that I had 6 contractions in 30 minutes show up on the monitor. She said typically it's ok to have 4 in one hour. Yikes!

I've been having Braxt0n Hicks since very early on, but they are so consistant that I almost don't notice them any more. Since I didn't go into labor with EJ, I have no idea whether they are real or not and it never crossed my mind that I could possibly be having real contractions.

She did a test to check my membranes, mentioned some stuff about if the test was positive I had to go to Labor & Delivery to be monitored and stop the contractions, checked to see if I was dilated, and then told me to go home and basically sit for the rest of the day.

So much for those last minute errands I was going to run today.

Thankfully, I'm still very closed and haven't dilated. I just heard back from them that the test was negative and I just need to keep resting and monitoring the contractions. No more than 4 per hour.

EJ was at my MIL's, so we hung out there most of this afternoon so I could just sit.

I had so many things to get done this week, but it looks like I'll be taking it easy instead.

I guess it's better for me to rest and not have this baby yet than it is for me to make all those fun goodies I've found on pinterest :)

A Most Uncomfortable Ride

2011-12-18T08:18:00.001-05:00

I am seven-and-three-quarters-months pregnant. At this point, every bit of it counts.

I've had a very easy pregnancy this time, even with a toddler in tow. However, the baby is settling lower and lower, the aches and pains are getting stronger, and my energy is almost non-existent...but life goes on and I push (pun intended) through it.

I'm not saying this to complain. I'm extremely thankful for another healthy pregnancy. I can't wait to meet this little person.

I'm saying it all for perspective. For some reason when I reach this point in pregnancy, my mind immediately goes to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

I honestly have no idea why. There are many, many other women over the course of time who have carried a baby. For some reason, my mind is drawn to her. Some of it may have to do with Christmas being one week away, but she was front and center on my mind at the end of my last pregnancy too. {You can read that post here}

So, Mary has been on my mind a lot lately. Amy Grant's song "Breath of Heaven" has never been more real to me. I can't listen to it without crying. It will probably be that way for me from now on. I will always remember being quite pregnant at Christmas time.

With all these thoughts going on in my mind, we went to the live nativity the other day. I was drawn to the camel first, but then I looked past the camel and saw the tiniest, sweetest donkey.

No where in Scripture does it mention that Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem. I guess it's just assumed since that was the normal mode of transportation in those days. I can't imagine that she walked all that way. I wonder how long it took them? Did she begin the journey 8 months pregnant? 7 months pregnant? Did the walking/jostling from riding start her labor?

I kept looking at that little donkey thinking no matter how comfortable Joseph tried to make it for her, it was more than likely an uncomfortable, bumpy ride. This little, stubborn animal provided a seat for the world's most popular journey.

Donkeys are know for being stubborn animals. However, when I looked at this one, I couldn't help but see a gentle, sweet, caring animal who carried a very pregnant mommy to her far off destination.

Christmas at Billy Graham Library

2011-12-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

Today we were able to go to the B1lly Graham Center/Library for lunch and to see the petting zoo.

My father-in-law works at the ministry and we were able to meet he & my mother-in-law for lunch.

I had never been to the campus or library before, but I had heard so many great things about the building and where it was located. The main office building is built like a lodge in the mountains where Billy Graham now lives. It was SO beautiful!! It felt like we were away on a retreat instead of minutes from our airport and downtown!

Frankl1n Graham's son was walking by, so he offered to take a picture of all of us (me, EJ, Hubby, & my FIL)...minus my mother-in-law who wasn't there yet.

The picture above the mantle is an original Th0mas K1nkade. I love all his paintings! This picture doesn't do it justice for how large it really is!

I wish I had gotten a picture of the cafeteria where the employees eat. It is unlike any lunch area I've seen!! Large dining tables with 8 gorgeous chairs per table are in a room surrounded by two walls of floor to ceiling windows that look out over trees. There are exposed beams and it really feels like you are tucked away in the mountains!

After lunch, we went to the library across the parking lot.

On the left is B1lly Graham's boyhood home (it was relocated to the campus), the dairy barn next to it is the library, the silo is on the right.

Behind the house was a nativity scene with animals. It's a live nativity at night, but during the day you can come see the animals and pet them.

EJ loved the animals! She pointed and wanted to touch them all!

I love how she is standing in her stroller to get a better look :) {This sweet goat is pregnant with her first baby due the same time I am! Poor thing is SO tiny! At least her gestation is only 6 months according to the lady working there.}

The blonde animal in the front is a cow. A blue-eyed, blonde hair, Scottish Highland cow.

Brave little girl wanted to touch all the animals! I was afraid she was going to get her fingers bitten off!

Llama llama red pajama

Me, my belly, and my girl

Exhausted after a fun time with Pappaw, Mamaw, and the fun animals

31 Weeks & Ultrasound

2011-12-09T10:04:00.002-05:00

8 weeks to go! It's absolutely crazy how fast this pregnancy is flying! With the holidays coming, I know the next 8 weeks are going to be the fastest yet!

Things have been so smooth this pregnancy. What a blessing!!

On Saturday though, I was having some constant, intense pain on my right side. I have been having Braxt0n Hicks contractions since very early on in my pregnancy and lots of scar tissue pain from the c-section, but this was different and more intense. I knew they weren't contractions even though they were consistant, I just didn't know for sure what was going on.

I didn't think too much about it until I had a little spotting. I remained calm (unusual!) and called my doctor's office. The nurse on call called me back and asked a LOT of questions! She determined that the pain was only round ligament pain and the spotting was nothing to worry about. What a relief! EJ & I stayed home on Sunday and rested just to be sure.

Yesterday we had a growth ultrasound to see how big our peanut was getting. She is usually quite a wiggle worm all day, but yesterday she was so calm. We got lots of good pictures of her face!!

She looks exactly like EJ!! They have the exact same nose and lips. It is amazing how much you can already tell how alike they look from these ultrasound pictures!! One other thing we noticed and the u/s tech pointed out....she has very chubby cheeks! :)

Look at those cheeks!!

She's got her sister's nose!

Precious little pumpkin

She weighs a little over 4 lbs and is in the 63rd percentile; measuring about 1 week ahead. My doctor said she is right on track.

She is in a breech position, so we'll have to wait and see if she flips on her own.

I told my doctor that I'd like to try for a VBAC, but we'll see at the next few ultrasounds how big she ends up being! Plus, if she doesn't flip it looks like she'll make the decision regarding a c-section for me!

What a blessing these little children are to our lives!!

Christmas Tree Shirt

2011-12-05T09:15:00.001-05:00

I am SO addicted to pinterest!!!! It's a little insane how many projects, recipes, and ideas I've been inspired to complete recently! I'm planning on doing a blog post soon on all my pinterest projects.

I even made a board labeled "Pins I've Actually Tried". I'm constantly moving pins over there as I complete them.

I found this cute shirt and knew I had to make one for EJ!

It was SO easy! I used fabric glue for the ribbon and rick rack and sewed on the star button. To keep the ribbon from fraying, I quickly ran it through a flame to seal the edges. Don't worry, it won't catch on fire if you do it quickly :)

My little model...

It turned out so cute!

Christmas Decor

2011-12-04T17:45:00.001-05:00

I went really simple with our Christmas decorations this year.

I like for my decorations to be up the day after Thanksgiving and they come down the day after Christmas. Knowing I was going to be 4-5 weeks away from having the baby after Christmas, I didn't want to have to pack up a whole lot of decor!

I found this wonderful way to hang stockings off pinterest! You hang them on a curtain rod and only have to use two stocking holders no matter how many stockings you have!

I took some old garland that I've used for years and wrapped a strand of lights around them for the mantle.

I decided to go super small with our tree this year! We bought this last year to use as our Jesus tree, but this year it's our family tree. I may have spoiled myself for ever putting up a large tree again! :) This took 10 minutes from pulling it out of the closet to putting all the decorations on it. Plus, little hands can't reach the ornaments.

I'm not planning on putting any gifts around the tree....little hands will just be too curious! :) They are all wrapped and in our office.

This porch "tree" was another pinterest project. A tomato cage flipped over on the large end and wrapped in lights. I used two strands of icicle lights for this one. I found the icicle ones so much more forgiving than a regular strand! I LOVE how it turned out!!

Our dining room table. A poinsettia with framed scripture that I made years ago.

Wordless Wednesday...Christmas PJ edition

2011-11-30T19:26:00.002-05:00

14 Months

2011-11-27T20:44:00.002-05:00

How time flies!

Our little EJ is 14 months old today!

Here's what she's up to these days...

She wears 12 month & 18 month clothes.

Size 4 diaper

She's still not walking by herself yet. She has been walking while holding on to furniture for a long time, but has no interested in standing on her own or taking those first unassisted steps.

She wears size 3-4 shoes. I don't put shoes on her very often, mainly just for church. It's better for her developmentally without them.

She had apple juice for the first time last week. I've been holding off on juice because she didn't need it, plus I wanted her to really like milk before introducing it. It is very diluted with water and she could take it or leave it. She's a big water drinker.

She LOVES bath time!! Every night after dinner, she asks for a bath. She constantly repeats "bah! bah! bah! bah!" until we tell her, yes, she can have a bath.

She LOVES books. We read books all day long...the same ones over and over and over!

She is saying so many words now. She chatters all day long...bath (bah), uh-oh, baby, bear, dog (dah), amen, Jesus, night-night (nigh-nigh), grandma, grandpa, mama, dada.

She tries to say everything we do, but those are the words that she knows and uses all the time in the right context.

Bedtime is 7:30pm and she sleeps until 7:30am.

It is a battle to keep socks on her feet and bows in her hair!!

She loves animals. She used to think every animal barked like a dog, but now she quacks like a duck for every animal she sees!

She knows cow, dog, cat, duck, and monkey.

She LOVES to wash her hands! If water is running or I dry my hands, she wrings her hands and wants to wash hers.

She is very good at signing "more". She doesn't use the sign for "hungry", instead she smacks her lips :)

She is such a sweet, easy, well-tempered baby.

EJ, we love you SO much!! I can't believe you'll be a BIG sister in 2 months!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T12:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

"The Year that is drawing to a close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God."

President Abraham Lincoln, 1863

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!"

Thoughts

2011-11-23T11:23:00.001-05:00

:: Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Hubby has to work, so EJ & I will be at my uncle & aunt's house with my family for the feast and then at my in-laws for dessert in the evening when Hubby gets off work.

:: I made my sweet potatoes this morning. I usually like preparing my food while watching the Macy's parade, but I knew I needed to take advantage of Hubby being home this morning! I still have to make the mini pumpkin pies. I found the idea on pinterest to make mini pies...I'm excited to see how they turn out.

:: I was going to make mini apple pies as well, but I decided to cheat this year and buy a pie from Sams. Their Apple Caramel Streusal Crunch pie is amazing!! It's a HUGE pie that is so much easier since it's ready-made and just about as tasty as homemade! :) Warm it in the microwave for a few seconds and it's totally worth not peeling all those apples for a homemade pie!

:: I'm SO ready to decorate for Christmas! I've never decorated before Thanksgiving, but I think we may get our decorations up today since Hubby is off. I'm not putting up our big tree...I don't want to have to take it down a few weeks before the baby is born! We're going to use a little table top tree this year; plus it will be perfect for those little curious hands that want to get into everything!

:: I'm 29 weeks today...only 10 more to go (I'll be induced at 39 weeks)!!

:: This pregnancy has been a breeze and has flown by!! However, I'm starting to feel every bit of 29 weeks pregnant! I'm starting to slow down, feel tired, and walk with a waddle (this baby is LOW!).

:: I'm still debating between a VBAC or a c-section. I think I would like to try for a VBAC. However, more than likely my decision will be made for me when we have a growth ultrasound near the end. I have a growth ultrasound in another week or so, but I know I'll also have one around 38 weeks. That should help make my decision a little easier. Big baby = c-section for this mommy!!

:: I have reached the 3rd trimester nesting phase! Purge, Clean, Organize...repeat!!!

:: Hubby & I (mainly hubby) got a LOT done yesterday!! We completely emptied EJ's new room & closet of all the extra junk that was being stored in there. We rearranged the playroom/bonus room, put extra beds and things in the attic, and organized the laundry room. I still have a little more work to do in our office/study, but it is wonderful to have a majority of my "before baby" list crossed off!!

:: Since returning from our little getaway, I've noticed my view of EJ as a baby has been shattered! When we left, she was my baby and looked like a baby. Since we've been back (after only 2 days away from her!), she now looks SO much like a little girl to me. I don't see any of that baby I saw a week ago! She's definitely a toddler growing into a little girl. *sigh*

Anniverary Getaway

2011-11-17T16:12:00.002-05:00

Hubby & I had a little anniversary getaway this week!

We headed up to Blowing Rock on Monday and came home yesterday. It was the first time we had left EJ overnight. I'll admit, I did tear up when we dropped her off with my parents, but she was perfectly fine! :) She stood in the driveway waving at us and blowing kisses as we drove away.

Enjoying a relaxing afternoon in downtown Blowing Rock

We enjoyed relaxing, walking around Main Street, eating out, and looking at pictures of EJ on our phones, and trying to come up with a name for our new little girl (still didn't come up with one).

All of the leaves had fallen off the trees, but even that doesn't take away from the beauty of those Blue Ridge mountains!

We took a short drive on the parkway.

EEK!

It was nice to get away for a few days, but we were so excited to get back to our little cutie! She was spoiled by her grandparents and, sadly, wasn't as excited to see Daddy & Mommy as we were to see her :)

27 weeks

2011-11-13T09:05:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th Anniversary

2011-11-10T10:05:00.000-05:00

Hubby & I celebrate 4 years of marriage today!

I wouldn't want to spend my life with anyone else!

The Sweetest Name

2011-11-09T18:53:00.000-05:00

Tonight, EJ said her most precious word yet..."Jesus"!

Hubby was getting her ready for bed, and she was looking through her Bible story book. He said she kept saying something and he finally realized what it was...she was saying "Jesus"!

Sure enough, she kept saying it clear as a bell! What a special moment to hear your child say His name for the first time. Better than even hearing "dada" or "mama".

We have never prompted her to say "Jesus", so it really caught us off guard. It also showed how much their little ears take in!! We read the Bible story book to her, sing "Jesus Loves Me" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children", and we say His name when we pray -- I was just surprised that she said it over and over out of the blue.

What a sweet, sweet moment!

Pumkpin Patch

2011-10-31T17:18:00.000-04:00

We finally made it to the pumkpin patch today. We have been trying to get there this fall, and it finally worked out for us to head there this morning.

It was pretty chilly this morning, but this little cutie had fun holding the pumpkins and picking out the perfect one.

Costume Parade

2011-10-29T16:24:00.002-04:00

Today was our neighborhood costume parade!

{Sidenote: Hubby & I have decided that our children will not participate in the normal Halloween trick or treating. I didn't grow up celebrating Halloween, in fact I've never been trick or treating. Our church has activities this time of year and with the neighborhood costume parade, we decided that was what we would do every year with our kids. (Please don't be offended if you choose to celebrate this holiday with your family! We feel this is best for our family and it still allows our children to dress up and have fun!!)}

Moving on....

We live in a neighborhood with lots of little kids. It was so fun to see them all dressed up and walking in the parade. It was a little chilly, but really beautiful outside!

And here's my little butterfly...

Mommy? I can't move!

I found her costume at my favorite local consignment store! Only $4 and the best part is her little sister can wear it next year! :)

Got my sippy cup, I'm ready to roll!

You can barely see us, but I'm pulling the red wagon...and that's Elm0 on the side :)

My parents, MIL, and my SIL all came to watch EJ in her parade debut. They were the only observers besides about 4 other people in the neighborhood.

Here we come!

The parade started at our park/clubhouse and looped around a few streets then back to the park for a trunk or treat. We dropped at out at our street (near the end) because the little butterfly was ready for her nap!

Sunday's Clothes

2011-10-24T10:11:00.000-04:00

This is a little blurry, but I wanted to remember this adorable outfit that EJ wore to church yesterday.

The dress is from my mom, and my grandma made the sweater.

She looks like such a big girl in this picture!! I'm so excited that I'll be able to use these cute dresses again for our next little girl!

24 Weeks

2011-10-20T16:47:00.000-04:00

Pregnancy, at least for me, is SO different the second time around!!! The first time, I was so obsessed with thinking, planning, discovering new things, registering, decorating all for a new baby. My focus was completely on myself and my unborn baby with the first pregnancy.

My, how things change with the next one! :) I'm so much more relaxed this time. There are times when I almost forget I'm pregnant! Chasing after a toddler, playing with her, feeding her, there leaves very little time to think about myself!

Don't get me wrong, I'm very, very excited about this new little one!! It's just such a crazy transition from the first to second pregnancy. I don't forget about her on purpose. My belly is clearly front and center these days. I'm just not as revolved around it as I was before.

Size of Baby: According to thebump.c0m, a papaya; weighs approx. 1 lb

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 4 lbs! Woo Hoo!! I'm a little proud that I've only gained 4, I know I have my strict low-carb, high-protein diet to thank :)

Maternity Clothes: Ha!! Yep!! Since about 7 weeks pregnant I've been in maternity. A sweet friend of mine, just gave me two trash bags FULL of fall/winter maternity clothes...what a HUGE blessing!!

Gender: It's a GIRL! She's still nameless, although once we decide on a name we will keep it a secret until she's here

Movement: All the time -- kicking, flipping, punching, twirling. She's a lot like her sister was...she really boogies when she hears the music at church :)

Sleep: Pretty good. I've been using my pregnancy pillow since about 6 weeks pregnant. It makes ALL the difference this time from last time!! (I didn't get the pillow until I was about 30 weeks last pregnancy)

What I miss: being able to bend over...I've just realized this week that the belly is in.the.way!

Symptoms: Crazy, unbelievable stretching pains!!! Seriously, they are stop-me-in-my-tracks-for-a-good-three-minutes painful. I don't remember them being this bad with EJ. They are very low and always in the same two places. I really think it's from having a c-section only one year ago. Also, heartburn has shown up every day...boo!!

Gestional Diabetes Update: Since being diagnosed at 12 weeks pregnant, things have been pretty good. I started on a medication about 2 months ago. I started on one pill at bedtime and I'm now up to 4 before bed. Just this past week my fasting numbers have been rising, so I'm beginning an insulin injection at bedtime as well. I'm not even to the 28 week normal GD testing time, so I'm not sure how the rest of this pregnancy will pan out as far as how much more insulin I'll have to be on (with EJ it was A LOT!). I'm really hoping the pills in addition to the insulin will keep my injections to a minimum.

Niece or Nephew

2011-10-17T16:28:00.001-04:00

Saturday evening after leaving the party for Hubby's brother & wife, we jetted across town to get to the gender reveal party for my brother and sister-in-law.

Would we be having a niece or nephew in February?

All the guests we asked to wear either blue or pink depending on what they thought the baby was. Out of about 20-some people, only 4 had on pink!! There was a LOT of blue!! Our little family was dressed in blue.

So, who was right??

My brother brought in a box of cupcakes -- chocolate with pink icing & white with blue icing.

At the same time we all tore open our cupcakes to reveal....PINK! We're having a niece!

Yelena opening the gifts for their new little girl!

EJ was right beside her "helping" with the gifts! My grandma knitted her little hat and gave it to us that night. It is SO cute and will be darling this winter.

Precious cake and amazing desserts that Yelena's mom & grandma prepared

It's a Girl!! We can't wait to have 3 little girls in our family come next February!! They will all be close in age and I know they will have so much fun growing up together!

Moving On

2011-10-13T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hubby's brother and his wife are moving up north this week. His brother has been interning at our church for a few years and has taken a new position at a church in PA.

We had a family going-away party on Saturday evening. It was a casual BBQ dinner outdoors. They played a little cornhole and we just sat around chatting.

Catherine's mom gave them a little something to remind them of their home state.

Hubby's family, minus one brother who was unable to make it because of work

Raisin Rejects

2011-10-12T06:00:00.002-04:00

I picked up some raisins at the grocery store last week for EJ to try. I mixed cheeri0s and raisins in her snack cup and sent her off to play.

A few minutes later I found this...

Apparently, this little girl is opposed to raisins! She pulled them out one at a time and made a pile of rejected raisins beside her :)

Weekly Randomness

2011-10-11T12:52:00.000-04:00

:: It is rainy and cool today. It's also almost 1:00pm and EJ & I are still in our pj's. Sometimes you just need days like that!

:: I have spaghetti meat sauce cooking in the crockpot and it smells amazing! It's going to be torture to keep smelling that goodness until it's time for dinner! I always make my meat sauce in the crockpot. My mom taught me to put the meat in raw (thawed or frozen) and let it cook in the sauce all day. It makes the BEST sauce. The meat breaks down and grabs the flavors so well.

:: We finally found and purchased a van last week. It was HUGE, HUGE God-thing...the year, the mileage, the price!! We got so much more than we thought we'd get, and we know He blessed our searching and patience with exactly what we needed for our growing family. His hand was all over this purchase! I can't stop being amazed at His goodness to us.

:: The sad part about getting the van was I had to trade-in my beloved CR*V. I tend to get attached to certain objects and this was one of them. It was my dream car in the color I wanted. Hubby got it for me three days before our wedding and it was the car that brought EJ home from the hospital. I had quite a few moments in the last day I drove her around town. I *almost* lost it when I parked in the dealership parking lot. I'm blaming it on pregnancy hormones, but I'm not completely convinced that's the case!

:: We had a big weekend that I'm going to post about later this week. We said good-bye to some family members at a going-away party and then found out if we are going to have a niece or nephew in February at a gender reveal party.

9 Decades

2011-10-10T16:00:00.000-04:00

My Grandma turns 90 years old today!! Seriously, 90! That is such a long time :)

She is still very active, lives by herself, visits her friends, takes meals to her church family if they need one, and so much more!

She has 5 children, 11 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren (with 2 more on the way!)

Turning 90 has been her big year! In the past week she has had FOUR separate parties to celebrate her! :) I made it to three of them, but only have pictures from two. (I didn't get any pics of the lunch we had at my parent's house last Sunday).

A week ago Saturday, the a lady at her church hosted a brunch in her honor. The home was gorgeous and the table and settings were so pretty.

Coffee/Tea table

The hostess made these bars of soap with my Grandma's picture on them

Enjoying the brunch

This picture of her was on the coffee table

After the meal, we all went into the great room to listen to Grandma talk about what it was like growing up in the 1920's. A lot of it I didn't know...they didn't have a refrigerator, the milk man and ice man came every few days, and she only had one shirt and skirt.

We listened intently and then joined in singing Grandma's favorite hymn (and mine as well), "Great is Thy Faithfulness". {It looks like we're in a church, but this is actually the great room of the home!}

Last Thursday, my aunt hosted a luncheon in her home for some more of Grandma's friends.

My aunt, my mom, and my cousin were "the help". We served the ladies their meal and filled drinks as they needed. They were able to just sit and enjoy the food and conversation.

Pretty fall decor

Chatting & eating (they are such cute ladies!)

And here's a picture of some of "the help"

Blue or Pink: It's A...

2011-10-05T06:00:00.063-04:00

The week of EJ's party was the same week as our big ultrasound. All along our families have been asking when they would find out what we were having. Many of them asked if we were going to tell at EJ's party.

(We had a gender reveal party for EJ...you can read about it here)

My initial response was "No!" I didn't want to combine the two parties...I wanted EJ to have her own party, separate of the reveal party.

We knew with EJ's party, my brother & sister-in-law's gender reveal party coming up, family out of town for a month...we'd have a difficult time finding the perfect date.

Hubby & I talked and thought we would have the results sealed in an envelope and then wait until our anniversary (Nov. 10) to see what we were having and then have a party for our families.

I wanted to do something different than the cake reveal, but had a hard time coming up with something creative! My sister-in-law (who is also pregnant) came up with the idea for balloons. I LOVED it!

I started thinking about it and decided that we could surprise the family and reveal the gender at the end of EJ's party!

I wrapped the balloons in a black trash bag. I stressed and searched for the perfect sized box to put the balloons in and wrap, but could not find one that would be big enough for the balloons. The bag worked perfectly!!!

I used gender neutral yellow and green ribbons along with some pink and blue.

After EJ opened all her gifts, Hubby snuck out to get her present from us. We set it down in front of her and I said, "EJ will open her gifts from us on her birthday, but we thought maybe she would want to know if she's having a baby brother or..." I didn't get the rest out because of all the cheering!! :)

Off came the ribbons and out floated the balloons...

It's a Girl! (and NO, the two pink balloons do not mean twins...there's only ONE little girl in there!)

Big sister playing with the balloons

One funny story from the night I picked up the balloons...I had 9 birthday balloons blown up first and then the It's a Girl balloons. I was holding all the balloons and waiting on the last baby balloon when the store manager walked up with a confused look on his face. He asked very slowly, "Are you having a birthday party for the new baby?" I laughed and explained the situation. I never even thought about how it would look to other people with the two different balloons! :)

Birthday Party!

2011-10-04T14:17:00.000-04:00

(There are a LOT of pictures in this post!)

EJ's 1st birthday party was so much fun. We had a houseful of people -- all family -- about 30! This little girl has a lot of love! :)

I didn't go crazy with decorations -- just balloons, a Happy Birthday banner, and a hat for EJ.

We got the cake and cupcakes from Sams C1ub. I ordered 30 cupcakes and a 5 inch cake (EJ's smash cake) with 10 cupcakes surrounding it.

I made this balloon wreath for our front door. I'm excited to have it...it's going to be on our front door for our children's birthdays in the future.

EJ and her Aunt Desiree

EJ and her Great-Grandma (Hubby's g-ma)

Hubby grilled and grilled and grilled!! 48 burgers and about 40 hot dogs! We've already decided that next year, it's going to be pizza or catered BBQ for all!! :)

EJ with Papaw & Mamaw (Hubby's parents)

The Grandmas and Great-Grandmas

My MIL, my mom, my Grandma (mom's mom), and Hubby's Grandma (MIL's mom)

EJ and her Uncle Kurt (my brother)

EJ and her Grandpa (my dad...also the photographer of the party!)

EJ and her Aunt Kelly (my sister)

Kelly got her two outfits for the party. This one had cupcakes on the shirt...SO cute!

Wondering why everyone is standing so close and singing Happy Birthday

Digging in!

After she dug into her cake, I whisked her upstairs for a quick bath (icing in the hair!) and wardrobe change

She had such a fun time and received so many great gifts!!

What a sweet blessing she is to our family!!

Happy 1st Birthday!

2011-09-27T10:34:00.000-04:00

How did we go from this...

to this...

in 365 very short days?

Happy Birthday to our little EJ!

*I'll be back in a few days with party pics*

First Kicks

2011-09-24T07:59:00.000-04:00

I wanted to get this documented today.

While I've been feeling flutters, flips, and movement for quite a few weeks...last night the baby kicked for the first time! Those first kicks are always SO exciting!

I quickly told Hubby, but by the time he got his hand on my belly the kicking stopped. {sad} I know it makes everything even more real to him once he feels those kicks.

This morning when I woke up, I laid there for a few minutes and sure enough...kick, kick, kick. This little one must know the fall soccer season has started :)

Every kick and movement is so sweet and special. I hope I never forget this feeling!

This Week

2011-09-21T20:05:00.000-04:00

Oh, this week is giving me a headache!!

I'm exhausted. At my wit's end.

EJ's birthday party is on Sunday. We have a ton of family coming over to celebrate her and I'm so excited!!

What I'm not excited about and what has been ruining my week is our car search. Oh.My.Word!!!!

I'm going to say right here, right now...I HATE big purchases!!! Especially cars!!! Never liked it...never will!

About two weeks ago, we sold Hubby's truck. It was a gas guzzler and with a second baby on the way, we thought we'd start looking for a mini-van.

His truck sold in a short amount of time (yay!), but now we are down to one car. Not completely bad as he works 4 days and is off 3. I just know that I can run my errands on his days off, or EJ and I take him to work and pick him up. It's doable, but of course, we'd like to get that second car.

We have been looking at vans for about a month now and seriously looking for 2 weeks. We have taken 2 to our very reliable, trustworthy mechanic and both have been very clear "no's". After talking with our mechanic, we are now looking for a very specific year and model. GRRRRRRR!!!!!

They are virtually impossible to find. *sigh* We are scouring the internet all day to search for exactly what we're looking for (and it's not bells & whistles).

We have redone our budget, thought about keeping our current car and getting a smaller car, thought about keeping our current car and getting a van, thought about trading in our current car, etc.

It's just so much to think about. Seriously, I'm done. Done. Done. Done.

I know we'll find the right car for us at the exact time we are supposed too.

My highlight of this week was Bible study started this week. I've been out of Bible study for a year, since I had EJ. Our pastor is doing a study on Esther and I know it's going to be amazing. Today was our first meeting and it was so interesting!! I can't wait to see what's to come!

19 weeks randomness

2011-09-16T09:46:00.000-04:00

:: I'm 19 weeks pregnant! Half-way there {since I'll be induced a week early, I don't have to wait until 20 weeks to be half-way :)}

:: We had our big ultrasound on Wednesday. The baby looked great...right on track at 19 weeks and weighs about 10 oz.

:: We don't know the gender yet...the results are sealed in an envelope to be opened at a later date. It's a really busy time right now with EJ's birthday coming up, family out of town, etc., we just decided to wait a little longer to find out.

:: I've only gained 2 pounds and I'm thrilled! I know I have my strict GD diet to thank for that.

:: My baby bump popped very early...I guess that happens with consecutive pregnancies less than one year after the first! However, I feel like the bump has stalled for a few weeks...it's kinda just hanging out and not getting any bigger...weird!

:: I've been wearing maternity clothes for weeks now...and by weeks I mean like 1st trimester early. I only have summer maternity clothes, so I need to start looking for fall clothes.

:: I'm working on getting EJ's new room set up. We bought her a toddler bed a month ago (SO cute!!!). I'm trying to get her new room emptied of the current furniture and figure out bedding and paint color for her room. The new baby will be in EJ's current room. Since the crib is up and the room is painted it's just easier that way. I know some people like to redecorate for every new baby...I'm not feeling it. I don't see the need to buy new crib bedding when what I have is still in great condition and gender neutral. I'll bring the "girly" into EJ's new room...she'll be young enough that she'll never know the difference :)

Daddy's Little Helper

2011-09-14T16:13:00.000-04:00

Guess who wanted to help with the cabinet baby-proofing?

Yep, the baby! :)

"Daddy, you let me know when you need the drill."
(Don't worry, we watched her while she was holding it!)

"Which piece do you need next, Daddy?"

Every hard worker needs to take a graham cracker snack break!

Mommy's Little Helper

2011-09-13T09:09:00.001-04:00

EJ has become my little "helper" in the kitchen.

She recently discovered the dishwasher and also how to open the cabinets. Installing cabinet baby-proof locks are on our to-do list for this week!

She likes to help by trying to remove items from the dishwasher -- whether they are clean or dirty! :)

I've gotten very fast at loading and unloading the dishwasher!

Hmmm...what can I get into here?!?

Her signature sign-off -- waving "bye-bye"

Footies

2011-09-12T08:31:00.001-04:00

There is nothing like a baby in footie pj's.

Since it's been so hot this summer, EJ has been sleeping in onesies. Last week we put her in footies and we are not going back!!!

So much cuteness in one little outfit!

Waving bye-bye...that's mommy's cue to stop taking pictures :)

Unforgettable

2011-09-11T20:49:00.000-04:00

9.11.01

I have no words.

10 years.

As the wife of a First Responder, I had no idea of the emotions that would overtake me today. I do know I breathed a little bit easier when he walked in the door from work tonight.

Not because I live in fear, but because the reality of that day from a decade ago came flooding back so strongly this weekend.

I know my husband's job is a sacrifice every day. What I hadn't realized until seeing all the footage all over again was the extent of that sacrifice.

I remember that day like it was yesterday. The fear, the panic, the tears, the hope, the unity of a country, the patriotism, the pride -- SO many different emotions.

I hugged my daughter extra tight today. Life is a gift.

Never Forget.

Labor Day Parade

2011-09-05T08:59:00.001-04:00

EJ went to her first parade on Saturday! Every year, there is a Labor Day weekend street festival near where we live. Growing up, my family went to the parade every year. I've been so excited to bring my kids to the parade and start our own tradition!

Sadly, Hubby had to work, but my parents tagged along with us and it was so helpful to have them there.

EJ and Grandpa (my dad)

From the moment the parade began, EJ was mesmerized! She loved watching every one who walked by. She squealed, waved, and laughed the entire time :)

She LOVED the bands, but I think by the end they were a little too loud for her

Here she is watching a mascot go by. She squealed and shook with excitement when mascots would come near her. No fear here!

After the parade we walked to the library around the corner to get out of the heat. EJ enjoyed cooling off and playing in the kid's section.

I already can't wait until next year when we will bring both of our babies to the parade!!

Storytime

2011-09-02T06:00:00.002-04:00

EJ loves books!

She will sit and sit and sit and listen to the stories over and over again.

She has also learned how to turn the page! Sometimes we have to read very quickly to get everything in before the page gets turned! :)

I have caught her many times "reading" to herself. She grabs a book, opens it, babbles, turns the page, and babbles until the very end. Simply adorable!!!

I hope she grows up to have a love for reading. I love to read, and I hope she has just as many adventures in reading and more!!

All By Myself

2011-09-01T08:52:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday EJ and I were at my parent's house while Hubby was working. Before we left, I decided I would go ahead and feed her dinner in case she fell asleep on the way home.

My mom suggested that it was probably time that EJ start feeding herself with a fork and spoon. The thought had not even crossed my mind! I mean, I know she will be one in just a few weeks and I know she is more toddler than baby, but I hadn't considered giving her her own eating utensils.

I had a feeling this would not go well.

Well, my genius child proved me wrong. We put the toddler fork in her hand, pureed the spaghetti, and let her have at it.

She needed help getting the food on the fork, but once I did that she put the fork in her mouth and ate almost every bite of that spaghetti

My very messy and very proud eater

Last night, I decided that Little Miss would not be eating her pureed baby food. Instead, she would be having what Daddy & Mommy were eating -- roast, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

She ate with us at the table with her own plate and fork. (I usually feed her before we eat our meal.) Her little plate looked so cute...no cubes of food all mashed together, just a small plate of roast, potatoes, and beans.

The fork lasted for a few minutes before she was ready to dig in with her hands!! I really think she liked eating the food individually -- instead of all mixed together in a bowl.

She thought she was such a BIG girl!!

I have to say, it's very different eating a meal while trying to feed a baby at the same time! I told Hubby afterwards that I know I ate my dinner, but I don't really remember eating or how it tasted :) I was so busy watching EJ eat and making sure she was OK!

Just another "welcome to motherhood" experience :)

Phone Shenanigans

2011-08-18T08:20:00.000-04:00

EJ loves phones, laptops, and iPads. She is drawn like a moth to the flame when they are around!

She loves to play with our iPh0nes (we don't use them as phones anymore), our current phones, and we've even given her an old cell phone that she can play with. Of course, she doesn't want to play with the old one...she wants the REAL ones!

Every once in a while she'll find our phones and start pushing buttons. The phones are always locked, and you have to push the middle button twice to unlock them.

Guess who always manages to push the middle button two times in a row??

I've caught her a few times making "calls". She'll push random buttons and then hit "send". So far, none of the numbers have been real...they've either been too long or two short and the recorded operator comes on and says that the call can not be completed as dialed. Thank goodness!

Until yesterday.

Smarty Pants was standing at the sofa and managed to grab my phone. I was sort of watching her, but also talking to Hubby in the other room at the same time.

All of the sudden, I hear a voice coming from the phone! I grabbed the phone from her and in the process push the "end" button. When I flipped it over and looked at it there were a few numbers on the screen and at the top it said "Emergency Mode"! Ack!!

I kept hitting "end" to make sure it hung up! (Sidenote: I had already hung up when I noticed this...if the call had still been live when I saw emergency I would have talked to the person on the other end!)

I was in the middle of telling Hubby what was on the screen when the phone rang. Great.

I didn't recognize the number, but I knew I needed to answer.

It was 911 calling back because they received a phone call and hang up from my number. Fabulous.

I was so embarrased and explained that my baby had my phone and dialed them. The dispatcher kept asking if I was OK and did I need assistance. I kept reassuring her that we were fine and I apologized over and over.

The dispatcher then asked for my name and address. EEK! I gave them and then just knew the police would show up just to check on things. They didn't. PHEW!

I think EJ dialed 411 (information) and when they heard a baby babbling they switched the line over to 911 who I then hung up on.

Needless to say, ALL phones are now put in a place where she can NOT reach them....yet.

My cousin had a good point when she heard the story. She said, "At least she didn't call China". That would have been fun to explain to my phone carrier!

Good News

2011-08-17T19:50:00.001-04:00

:: My blood sugar numbers have been great!! Exactly where they should be -- this is such good news for me because they were ALL over the place with my last pregnancy. And by all over the place, I really mean they were high. I'm not on insulin (whoop! whoop!); managing it all with diet so far.

:: My brother & sister-in-law are expecting their first baby!! Yelena & I are due 20 days apart -- my due date is 2/8 and her's is 2/28! My parent's are ecstatic about having two grandbabies born about a month apart! I'm ecstatic that my kids will have a cousin close in age!

:: EJ said "dog" yesterday and it is the cutest thing! It sounds like duh-oww-uh. I love seeing her little brain work and trying to figure out all her babbles :)

:: I'm still waiting on my Erin Condren life planner to arrive, but the good news is I received an email that said it shipped!! I'm dying for the fedex guy to show up at our front door!!

Screaming for Ice Cream

2011-08-15T19:32:00.001-04:00

Hubby's favorite part of me having GD is all the ice cream that we keep in the house. Before I go to bed each night, I have to eat a snack of cheesecake or ice cream or a milkshake. Not too bad, huh? :)

There is another little person who is also enjoying the benefits of all of Mommy's ice cream...

Daddy shared his ice cream cone with her

;

She loves vanilla ice cream!

Parties & Planning

2011-08-11T16:55:00.000-04:00

:: EJ's birthday is about a month and a half away! How in the world is that possible??

:: I've been doing some thinking about her birthday party. We're going to have family over for a cookout...that's about all I've got right now :) With just my family and Hubby's family it is around 25 people, so we won't be lacking people to celebrate our little girl!

:: I've found some cute decor at a party store & the dollar store...I just have to get it all figured out in my head. Honestly, I'm not going to do a whole lot. Probably some balloons, a cute birthday hat for EJ, a few banners, and birthday plates & napkins. I won't have a theme or go overboard.

:: While I'm on the topic of parties, I've also been thinking about our gender reveal party. I was going to hold out and not find out what we were having, but Hubby really wants to know and the reveal parties are just SO much fun!! I'm trying to come up with a way to reveal the gender that doesn't involve a cake or cupcakes. The cake really is a fun way to find out, but we've done that and I'd like to come up with something else this time. I have something in mind, but I'm wondering what else it out there.

If you have any ideas, I'd love any help!! :)

:: A lot of the blogs I read have been talking about family organizational binders. I love the idea of having everything in one place -- weekly/monthly menus, chore charts, bills/budget, etc. I'm looking into a lot of the printables and thinking it over right now.

:: I can not wait for my Erin Condren life-planner to arrive!!! I ordered it a few weeks ago (thanks to all the bloggers out there who posted about all the discounts...I got it for $10!). I wasn't going to get one, but then I started thinking about everything I'll have to keep up with once the second baby arrives next year. I think I'll wait until the planner arrives and then see about a household binder.

Carb Down

2011-08-09T10:30:00.001-04:00

Last week, I posted that for three days (Tues, Wed, & Thurs) I had to carb up for my 3 hour glucose test last Friday. Well, I ate a lot of carbs like the nurse told me to and by the second day I felt miserable!! I pretty much knew at that point I was going to get the diagnosis of gestational diabetes early.

I fasted for 12 hours before the test, drank the sah-weeeeet drink, and had my blood drawn every hour for three hours. The first hour was a little rough -- empty stomach filled with sugary drink -- BLECH! Thankfully, I didn't get sick or pass out in the waiting room and the remaining 2 hours were OK.

By the time I got to my car after the test, it had been 15 hours since I had eaten and I inhaled the sandwich I had brought with me!! :) There was a terrible thunderstorm going on with flash flooding, and I sat in the darkened parking garage and ate as fast as I could!

I talked to the nurse this morning and I had 3 elevated blood levels, so I've been officially diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I'm waiting for the diabetes center to call me and set up my first appointment. *sigh*

I'm glad I have an early diagnosis, but I'm not looking forward to these next five months. I know it's managable, but there is something so depressing about a GD diagnosis!

At least I know what to expect this time around...

7 Links to Past Posts

2011-08-05T11:00:00.002-04:00

My blog friend, Lauren, tagged me for this 7 links post. Let me tell you, this has taken a while to put together!! I haven't looked through all my posts in a long time, and wow, there were a LOT to sort through!!

1. My Most Beautiful Post: I tried to find a more beautiful post than when EJ's birth was announced, but there just wasn't one :) Except, maybe her birth story!

2. My Most Popular Post: There are 5 posts ahead of this one, but they were all a part of a link up on Kelly's Korner blog. My most popular post is about our little EJ when she was one week old.

3. My Most Controversial Post: I tend to avoid controversy, so to me this post is about as confrontational as I get :)

4. My Most Helpful Post: I actually had forgotten about these posts until I went back and saw them. I think there is a lot of good info to be gleaned on how to love your husband well. How Do I Love Him, Part 1 & How Do I Love Him, Part 2

5. A Post Whose Success Surprised Me: This was a little difficult to choose...I think I have to go with my post on my dislike of the Twilight books. Or maybe this one about my mom's weirdness with Target (although I guess I shouldn't be too surprised with this) :)

6. A Post I Didn't Think Got the Attention it Deserved: I seriously can't pick one...it feels weird to me :) I guess I'd say any of my recipes mainly because I love getting new recipes and I'm always hunting out new recipe blogs!

7. The Post I am Most Proud Of: I have loved this post since I first wrote it. I don't know if I've been more open and passionate about a subject on my blog as this one.

If you'd like to participate, please feel free!! Let me know so I can stop by and check out your 7 links posts!

Carb Up

2011-08-02T08:32:00.000-04:00

I didn't blog about my pregnancy with EJ alot. Mainly because I was working full-time and just didn't have the time like I do now. With this pregnancy I'm hoping to blog a lot more! The first one is pretty well engraved in your memory...I don't want to forget anything about the second one :)

I mentioned last week that I failed my early screening for gestational diabetes. This Friday I have to go early in the morning for the 3 hour test.

What I didn't know about this test was you have to carb up for three days before testing!! As in, they told me to eat lots of bread, potatoes, pasta, cookies, doughnuts, cake, ice cream, etc. Ha! It sounds great, but honestly it is messing with my head!!

After I had EJ, I had to go back 8 weeks post-partum for another glucose screening. I didn't have Type II diabetes, but I was/am at high risk for developing it in the future. It runs in my family and once you've had GD, you run an even higher risk of developing it in the future.

All that to say, ever since my GD diagnosis with EJ and my diet change I've really tried to watch my carb intake...especially once I found out I was pregnant again. Now, I do have desserts and carbs but I try to watch them and make sure I'm eating more protein and non-starch veggies.

When I was told last week that I had to eat high carb foods for three days I just had to laugh. We really don't have many high carb foods in the house, especially sweets! I just don't buy them because if they're here we'd eat them! :) The breads I buy are low-carb as well.

So, yesterday Hubby & I stopped at the store for my high carb foods. I have some yummy bread and cookies to enjoy over the next few days! Maybe I'll whip up some mashed potatoes with dinner one night too! Mmmmm....it's going to be a yummy three days ahead :)

Family Birthday Weekend

2011-07-31T18:43:00.001-04:00

Saturday we went to my in-law's house for a birthday party for Hubby's grandma and his sister. His grandma turned 81 on Friday, and for the second year in a row the entire family gathered for a cookout to celebrate her birth.

She lives a few hours away, so it is always nice when we get to see her.

EJ and her great-grandmother

Playing with the fun toys at Papaw & Mamaw's house!

Tearing down the party decorations

Two More Feet

2011-07-29T09:15:00.001-04:00

If you saw my last post, you saw that EJ announced that we are expecting our second baby in February!!

I wanted to document this mainly for my own memory, so here's some more info...

:: I was suspicious when we returned from our family beach trip in June that I was pregnant. I took a test the day after we returned and sure enough -- it was positive!

:: My due date is February 8. I'm 12 weeks pregnant and feeling pretty good.

::I've been nauseous and super tired, but not pukey sick (thank goodness!!). With EJ, I was a little pukey sick. I honestly don't know if it's easier being home and pregnant with a little one or having to go to work nauseous every day like I did when I was pregnant the first time. It's nice to be at home when you're not feeling well, but EJ is SO active these days and into everything! I'm thankful that the yucky feeling is gone for the most part...unless I get hungry :)

:: EJ and the baby will be 16 months apart

:: I had my second OB appointment three weeks ago. When the NP felt my uterus she thought it felt large for 9 weeks. She ordered an ultrasound (YAY!) for my 12 week appointment just to check it out. She said that after a c-section, sometimes the uterus stays swollen and never returns to its original size. I had the ultrasound on this past Wednesday and everything looked great....and there is only one baby :)

:: I had an early screening for gestational diabetes on Wednesday too. Since I had to take so much insulin with my previous pregnancy, I had the option for early screening at 12 weeks or waiting until the normal 26 week mark. I failed the one hour test and have to go back next Friday for the 3 hour glucose test (YUCK!). Anything over 135 requires the 3 hour test; my number was 194! With EJ, my number was over 200 and they didn't make me take the 3 hour test. I'm a little bummed that I didn't fail by 6 more points and save myself from the 3 hour :) If I was going to fail, I should have failed big! :)

:: If I pass the 3 hour test on Friday, I still have to retake the test at 26 weeks. Either way, I'll end up with gestational diabetes...it will just be next week or later in the pregnancy when it reveals itself.

:: My doctor has said I will more than likely be induced a week early (around February 1) since I'll have the diabetes again. With EJ I was induced a week early as well.

:: I have to decide (with my dr's help), if I want to have a scheduled c-section (since I've had one) or if I want to try for a VBAC. I know I have a lot of time to make that decision, but I honestly thought I'd always have to have a c-section with future pregnancies so it really is something I really have to think about.

:: Finally, this little one is a jumping bean!! He/she is only about 2.5" long and was sleeping during the ultrasound. When the tech pushed on my belly, he/she woke up and began doing flips and bouncing up and down!! It was so cute!!

How amazing is our God that we can view what's going on in the womb with a little 2" jumping bean! :)

Wordless Wednesday...Almost

2011-07-27T11:40:00.001-04:00

2-Day Pool Party

2011-07-25T13:20:00.005-04:00

Every summer my cousin, Ashley, house-sits for a family at our church while they vacation for a week. The house has a great pool in the backyard, so for the second year in a row we had a family pool party on Saturday and Sunday! {Don't worry, the family knows that we bombard their house for a few days while they are gone :)}

It was so HOT here this weekend (well, really it's been this hot all summer!), so it was nice to just float and splash.

EJ is a such a fish!! She loves the water so much. She has started putting her face in the water all by herself! She kicks her feet and moves her arms -- if we let go of her, I don't think she'd care or mind one bit, she'd just start swimming -- not that we would let go of her!! :)

Floating with Aunt Kelly. EJ's hat cracks me up...she looks like Gilligan! :)

Hubby & I

Our little fish making her funny, scrunchie face. She makes this face all the time!

Wordless Wednesday - Pool Edition

2011-07-20T06:00:00.002-04:00

The Heat is Frying My Brain

2011-07-19T08:39:00.001-04:00

So, I'm making a random list.....

:: A few months ago I mentioned that I started a recipe blog...then I decided not to do anything with it. Last week I finally imported ALL my recipes over there and that's where I'll be posting recipes from now on. No more Savory Saturdays here (sniff, sniff). It's just easier for me to keep them all on the new site...so check it out -- Tastefully Done

:: It's been hot, Hot, HOT here! EJ and I are headed to our pool with my cousin this afternoon. EJ loves to splash-splash :)

:: My baby is growing like a weed. Seriously. I can't believe how big she is! Every morning when I go to get her out of her crib, it seems like she has grown inches overnight! Yesterday, I organized and put away all the clothes that don't fit her anymore...it really didn't leave her with much!! Looks like I'll be headed to our local (wonderful!) kids consignment store soon! I LOVE shopping at kids consignment stores...you can get great items for cheap!

:: EJ is into EVERYTHING these days! I feel like I spend all day pulling her out of places where she's gotten stuck, saying "no", and finding new ways to keep my Houdini contained (she can find a way out of any contraption I've put in her way to keep her in one place!). But I LOVE her to pieces and she makes me feel like I've put in quite a days work by the time I head to bed each night :)

:: Hubby & I have been watching Big Br0ther this summer. I look forward to it every year!! I'm pulling for Jeff/Jordan, but not their alliance...can not stand Brendon/Rachel!

:: I've gotta run to the store this morning for milk. I hate when I have to go out in the heat for measly groceries...drives me crazy! :)

Physical Therapy Catch-Up

2011-07-14T20:41:00.001-04:00

This little FIVE-toothed-cutie (seriously! how does she have 5 teeth already!?) had her physical therapy follow-up appointment yesterday. Her first appointment was two weeks ago and the therapist taught us some stretches to work on her legs.

While her head doesn't tilt as much to one side, the therapist noticed that her left leg didn't extend back as far as the right one. We are working on getting her hips loosened up and getting more rotation in her left leg.

We worked on the exercises and yesterday when the therapist checked her legs, they were both extended to the same angle!! Great news!! I was so happy that all the hard work paid off!

We added two more exercises and will continue our same ones from the first visit. The therapist said she was setting EJ up on a 6 month goal/treatment plan, but she didn't think it would really take that long.

EJ is doing so well and I can already see a difference in her flexibility.

Savory Saturday: Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings

2011-07-09T09:11:00.003-04:00

I love my recipe for made-from-scratch Chicken & Dumplings. The only problem is it can be time-consuming and messy.

I had heard of chicken & dumplings cooked in the crockpot, but it didn't sound like it would be as good as made-from-scratch ones. This recipe is thisclose to being just as good!!

I love that I can toss everything in the pot in the morning and not have to roll out the dough, cut it, and stand over the stove while the dumplings cook. I wasn't sure how the biscuits would taste as dumplings...they are SO good!!!

To make this a more complete meal, you can add in a can or two of mixed veggies or some frozen mixed veggies with the other ingredients.

Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings

4 chicken breasts

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 small onion, diced

water or chicken broth (the broth gives it much more flavor)

2 cans refrigerated biscuits

Place the chicken in the crock pot. Mix together the soup and onion and place over the chicken. Pour enough water or broth in the crock pot to completely cover the chicken and soup mixture. Cook on low for 5-6 hours if your chicken is thawed; if chicken is frozen, cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Once chicken has cooked completely, remove the chicken from the pot and shred with a fork. Return chicken to the pot.

1 - 2 hours before serving, tear the biscuits into pieces and drop in the pot. Let the biscuits cook for an hour. The biscuits will absorb the extra liquid.

Quick Beach Trip

2011-07-08T18:13:00.000-04:00

We returned home today from a short trip to Ocean Isle Beach. I grew up going to OIB and Hubby's family has a house there (just off the island) where we are able to stay.

Sadly, I didn't take a single picture. *sigh* I have got to get better about that!! I don't have the pictures as proof, but I wanted to document EJ's first trip to the beach house.

We left Wednesday afternoon and spent yesterday on the beach. The beach was crowded and the ocean was rough! We've never seen the waves so consistant and big! We sat in the surf with EJ and almost got completely knocked over a few times. The water was just churning around us.

We had planned on staying until Saturday, but we woke up to some strong thunderstorms this morning. There was no point in wasting the day cooped up in the house when we could head home and enjoy our pool here tomorrow.

It was a fun little family getaway! We can't wait to head back in a few weeks...hopefully!!

Straighten Up

2011-06-24T18:58:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we took EJ for a physical therapy evaluation.

For about as long as she's been able to hold her head up, it has always had a slight tilt to the left. We noticed it as well as family members but we assumed it was just part of her learning to hold up her head...which is heavy for a little one!

About two months ago we saw her doctor when she had a cold. While the doctor was checking her out, she noticed the head tilt and asked if she always did that. We told her that she did, but she didn't seem to tilt it as much as she used to.

Her doctor recommended taking her to a physical therapist to have them take a look. Honestly, I put off the appointment for about a month thinking she would straighten out on her own. While it has improved a lot, her head does tilt every once in a while so we decided it would be best to have it looked at in case it was something serious.

I waited until after we returned from vacation and then made the appointment. We met with the physical therapist yesterday for her evaluation. She mainly had EJ play on the floor with lots of toys while she watched how she maneuvered, crawled, rolled over, stood up, etc.

She noticed the tilt and tried some stretching methods to determine if it was muscles, tendons, vision, or her ears that were causing the problem. From what she could tell it was none of them.

Apparently, vision and fluid in the middle ear play a huge part in babies developing their base center (meaning the center of their bodies). If her head continues to tilt (although it's very mild), she could "learn" that her center is actually where her head is when it is tilted and that could mess up her balance later in life.

We will be going once a week to learn stretches so we can work with her at home. Also, when we swing her at the park we have to swing her side to side, not back and forth to get her used to the motion and get the fluid in her ears normal.

One thing I was thrilled to learn during our appointment...when babies are learning to stand and walk it is best for them to be barefoot all the time. The therapist said bare feet help with their balance and shoes can mess up their progression. Their little toes need to grip as much as possible and the shoes can really hinder them.

There are so many cute shoes out there for babies, but I LOVE baby feet and think they should be free to play with their feet all the time. I rarely put shoes on EJ and sometimes feel guilty to see other babies with their cute shoes on.

I was SO happy to learn those piggies should be free!! :)

The Body

2011-06-23T22:50:00.000-04:00

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Psalm 34:18

In my last post I mentioned my church's outreach program that was happening this week. Little did I know what was to come and what the Lord was going to do this week.

This is the 3rd year for our church's outreach program "Seek The City". It is a "stay at home" missions trip for middle and high school students at our church. Over 250 students along with many adult volunteers minister in different ways across our city. They sleep at the church campus, have breakfast and dinner provided my volunteers, and conduct many ministries during this week of missions.

Late Tuesday night, the unthinkable occured. There was a terrible storm in our area around 10:30 that night. Some of the students went outside to cool off in the rain and watch the lightening while lying in the driveway of the gym.

Across the campus an adult volunteer was headed towards the gym on an ATV (all terrain vehicle). It was very windy and pouring rain. He could barely see a few feet in front of him with the headlight.

Most of the students saw the headlight and moved out of the way, but one did not. He was struck by the ATV. Immediately the driver began CPR and the medics arrived within minutes. The boy passed away on the way to the hospital.

My dad called me early Wednesday morning with the news. He heard our pastor on the radio and then called a friend whose child was participating in the missions week. He told me the name of the boy and I knew immediately who he was.

I mentored his oldest sister for three years when she was in high school. I broke down and watched the news reports grasping for information. I texted my sweet friend that I was thinking of her and praying for their family. I called her later that morning (not expexting her to answer) and left a message with my thoughts and prayers barely making it through and grieving for their loss. My heart breaks for their family and the family of the man driving the ATV.

Our church was in shock. Never has such a tragedy occured on the campus before. Facebook was flooded with thoughts and prayers for the family. Our pastor sent an email to the congregation that there would be a short 30 minute service last evening to worship and pray. He encouraged every member to be there.

Hubby and I attended the servic,e and less than 24 hours after the accident the sanctuary was as full as a Sunday morning. There were young and old and many, many of the students. We sang praise songs, our pastor spoke a brief message on Jeremiah 29:11, and then there was a time of prayer.

Hubby and I had to leave right before the end, but I heard later that my friend (the boy's sister) and her brother were at the service and stayed after to speak to the students who were a part of the missions week.

At the request of the family and the students, they wanted to finish out their week of missions. After taking yesterday off, they returned today.

I have learned a lot about the Body of Christ in these short 48 hours.

A 15 year old has left an amazing legacy.

Our pastors have provided amazing truths to the congregation.

A family grieving has the strength of the Lord that is carrying them through.

The power of forgiveness is strong and impacts more than those directly involved. By the morning after the incident occured, the boy's family and the man who was driving has been in contact and the family offered him forgiveness knowing it was an accident.

The students purposed to finish out this week strong in memory and honor of their friend and for their Lord.

Even in our grief as a church, how blessed we are to be a part of the Body.

Summer So Far...List Style

2011-06-21T09:23:00.003-04:00

:: It's been a hot one around here!! We mainly stay indoors to play unless we're floating in the neighborhood pool.

:: EJ is growing like a weed! Family members are constantly saying how much bigger she is from week to week. I can't believe she'll be 9 months on the 27th. She's almost been out in the world longer than she was in my tummy! Crazy!!

:: She currently has 4 teeth! Her top two just popped in the other day. Her little smile is so funny now. I'd show you a picture, but she won't let me :)

:: I've been busy making baby food. EJ eats almost all types of fruits, veggies, yogurt, and meats now. I haven't introduced citrus or strawberries yet (except for strawberry yogurt...she loves it!). I have this great book that was recommended to me. While I haven't used a lot of the recipes, it's a great reference for knowing what to mix together and when to feed different foods. This week I'm making the "My First Beef Stew" for EJ.

:: When we returned from our week at the beach, Hubby and I found our old black-out shades and put them up in EJ's bedroom. She has now started sleeping until 8:00am!! This is a big deal!! Prior to the shades, little girl would wake with the sun between 6:00-6:30. So, YAY!

:: EJ has been busy playing with toys, looking at LOTS of books, listending to music (the girl LOVES music!), crawling all over, climbing and pulling up on things, practicing standing, and splashing at the pool

:: I have been reading, playing with EJ, reading to EJ, singing to EJ, keeping EJ out of where she shouldn't be (she can now break through my confined areas), making sure she doesn't hit her head or chin while she's standing and pulling up on things, and splashing at the pool with my cutie

:: We had a fun playdate with my friends Heather (and daughter, Ella) and Kim (and son, Caden). Heather's new house has a great pool in the backyard. The babies splashed and then they all took a nap....the mommies then floated in the pool. Ahhhhh.... Our morning playdate lasted all day...Thanks, Heather!!

:: This week our church is doing our annual outreach program in our city. Highschool students volunteer their week to work around our city and stay on the church's campus for the week. I'm providing some food two nights this week. This is my first year helping out and I'm excited to bring the huge batch of beans tonight and the huge batch of cornbread on Thursday.

:: A dear friend of mine is getting married on Saturday in the mountains of NC. Hubby has to work, so I'm going to drop EJ off with my parent's and then drive up to the wedding. I'm so excited for her and can't wait for her big day!!!

:: And finally, because she's so stinkin' cute...

Daddy, your hat is too big for me!

Hilton Head 2011

2011-06-05T21:09:00.002-04:00

We returned home yesterday from our week vacation at Hilton Head Island, SC. We usually go to Ocean Isle Beach, NC, but the house we wanted was already booked for this past week.

We had a great time with my family: my parents, my grandma, aunt, uncle, 2 cousins, and my siblings.

We had so much fun at the beach, the pool at our house, playing card games and speed Scrabble, eating, etc.

This little one had SO much fun in the water!!! It was her first time in the pool and the ocean and oh.my.goodness! I think we have a little fish on our hands :) She absolutely took to the water like a pro. She was splashing constantly and didn't care if the water went in her face at all.

I have to say, a week at the beach with an 8 month old is a completely different "vacation" :) EJ stayed in our room in her pack & play and was up every morning no later than 6:30...not exactly restful, but we had a great time and she had so much fun being the center of attention every moment of every day!!

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Story time with Grandpa

Lounging at the beach

Splish-Splashin'

Our designated spot on the beach every day

EJ kept her sunglasses on when we were outside. It cracked us up...she was so stinkin' cute with them on!!

Floating in the pool

Swinging at the playground at Shelter Cove

Can someone please tell me when my baby got SO big?? She's changing before our eyes and looks like a toddler more and more every day!

Relaxing in the shade with her shades :)

We had such a great vacation and can't wait to hit the beach some more this summer!! She loves the water so much it looks like we'll be visiting our neighborhood pool a lot!

Our First Responders

2011-06-02T09:27:00.000-04:00

A little over 3-1/2 years ago Hubby & I, along with our family and friends, had finished our wedding rehearsal and were on our way to the rehearsal dinner about 25 minutes away from the church.

It was around 7:00 in the evening in November so it was already very dark outside. People had left the church in their own cars so many people we knew were traveling down the same local interstate on their way to the dinner.

Hubby and I were in my car. There were 4 cars that left the church ahead of us and many after us.

We were driving along the interstate when we noticed lots of brake lights. I saw a few cars stopped on the side of the road and thought I saw my parent's car. Right as I was mentioning it to Hubby, I saw my Dad walking on the shoulder waving his arms and I yelled at Hubby to pull over.

As we got closer, we saw that a white utility van had crashed into the concrete pillar that supports the overpass bridges.

My two girlfriends were in the car behind him and said that he was driving down the road and then veered off and hit the pillar.

The van was smoking, there was glass all over, and the driver was slumped over the steering wheel. We had no idea if he was alive.

Hubby, who is a first-responder, immediately ran over to the driver to check on him. He put his arm through the glass and felt for a pulse. He was trapped and barely alive.

The EMS arrived very soon after and once they took over we all moved on to the rehearsal dinner. We were pretty shook up (except Hubby who is trained to remain calm).

We found out later that the driver had to be airlifted to the hospital and, thankfully, he made it out alive.

I was so proud of Hubby and his immediate instinct to go right to work...in his suit and all :)

Fast forward to this past Saturday. My family was headed to the beach on this same interstate, although we were further south this time.

My dad, mom, aunt, and grandma were in my Dad's car. Behind them were my brother and sister-in-law; followed by Hubby, myself, EJ, and my cousin in our car. The rest of our group were coming down later in the day, so there were three cars in our caravan.

We were about 15 minutes into our trip driving in the left (fast) lane behind the other two cars. My cousin, Ashley, was in the back seat playing with EJ, and Hubby and I were talking in the front seat and laughing at something. We glanced at each other for a split second.

When I looked back at the road it took my brain a few seconds to register what I was seeing. I saw lots of dust and then saw a tractor-trailer was coming across the median from the opposite side of the highway...straight at us!

It all happened SO fast, but also seemed like it was in slow motion. All I saw was a HUGE truck of steel, barrelling towards our three cars while bouncing up and down on the uneven grass in the median.

In about the 20 seconds of what we saw - the truck came off the road, bounced in the grass, stirred up a lot of dust, was heading straight for us, and then turned slightly back to his right and PLOWED into the concrete pillar.

Immediately pieces of steel went everywhere. The cab hit the pillar directly on and crushed it; the cab then fell on its side, but the trailer stayed upright.

Never in my life have I seen anything like this. There is no way to explain the feeling of seeing an 18-wheeler come barreling at you!!

We all pulled over immediately. My brother, who is also a first-responder, and Hubby threw our cars into park about 50 feet from the cab, and immediately jumped out.

They were the first ones there and began pulling the airbags out of the windows to find the driver. Since the cab had tipped, they had no idea where he was or what they were going to find.

Hubby reached in and saw the driver's dog, unharmed. He pulled the dog out and people standing by held the poor beagle. He found the driver alive, but pinned.

My brain kicked in and I remembered to call 911. There were so many people there by that time trying to call that my call was never answered. I made sure someone was on the phone with them before hanging up.

Diesel was pouring out of the tank and with all the fumes we were afraid of an explosion. A man who stopped mentioned to me that my sister-in-law and I should move our cars in case of an explosion. That snapped me into reality!

The emergency crews had then arrived and began taking over. Hubby and my brother made sure they weren't needed and then felt like they could leave the scene.

We found out later in the day that the interstate was closed for most of the day and the driver had to be airlifted to the hospital.

This is the actual cab with the roof removed

It was quite a start to our vacation!!! We were shook up....except for my brother and Hubby who were calm and ready for the next call :)

It took washing Hubby's clothes three times to get the smell of diesel out, and he was picking glass out of his arms for the rest of the day.

I don't know what it is about my family caravan-ing down this local interstate together, but we always seem to be in the right place at the wrong time. I don't think it was a coincidence that we were delayed just a few minutes prior to starting out our trip. If we hadn't been delayed, then we wouldn't have been there at the exact moment the truck hit.

We're very proud of my brother and Hubby jumping right in there to save a life!!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-08T21:33:00.001-04:00

Words can not explain how much I love this little cutie...

My heart feels like it explodes every time I look at her precious face each day.

My first Mother's Day was perfect...I got to sleep in (woohoo!) and was served breakfast in bed! We didn't make it to church since we were still under the weather, so I spent the morning snuggling my little bug. We went to my parent's house this afternoon for a quick visit.

Last year I was pregnant and so excited to meet my little one; we didn't know yet if we were having a boy or girl, but I knew I'd love him or her SO much! Never could I have imagined how much I would love being a mommy! This has been the most fulfilling seven months of my life!

Savory Saturday: Bruschetta Chicken Bake

2011-05-07T00:05:00.003-04:00

This is such a flavorful main dish that is so simple to throw together at the end of a long day!

My favorite part about this recipe is that you do not cook the chicken first. For some reason, I don't like recipes where you have to cook the chicken first (even though I do still make them from time to time).

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cut into bite-size pieces

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (I sometimes use the Italian ones)

1 pkg. stuffing mix (like St0vet0p)

1/2 c. water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and place chicken on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle basil and cheese over chicken.

Mix together tomatoes, dry stuffing mix, water, and garlic until moistened. Place mixture over chicken. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Our Week and EJ's Big Day

2011-05-06T19:33:00.001-04:00

It's been a slow week around here. EJ & I both came down with colds this week, so we've pretty much stayed confined to the house this week. I hate being sick, but I do have to say it's much easier to be sick when you're home! I'm so thankful for the privilege to stay at home with EJ...sick or not!

Sidenote: I just love having a blog to document what's happening in our lives. I know it's probably not interesting to anyone else out there, but I LOVE being able to look back and read what we were doing on a certain date. Ok, back to our week...

We got out yesterday and went to Ross to find some summer dresses for me. I love wearing comfy dresses when it's hot outside, they are just so much cooler. My mom and aunt told me back in the fall that a Ross near my house was THE place to find dresses...and they were right! I found so many for around $15 that actually fit where they should and were so cute!!! Yay!!

Today is was supposed to go to the Wells Farg0 Golf Championship with my cousin, Ashley. I love watching golf, although I've never played...except for mini golf :) For years I have wanted to go to the championship, but it has never worked out. When I woke up this morning I felt horrible and could barely breathe. I finally decided to fill myself with cold meds and head out to the course. As I was leaving the house it started pouring rain...*sigh*. Ash & I talked and decided we'd just wait and see what the weather did. I came back home changed into my comfy clothes and the rain quit...of course. By then I was comfy and feeling terrible again, so we decided to just stay home. Oh well, I suppose there is always next year.

The last 24 hours have been a pretty big deal for EJ!! She has been scooting for weeks now and rocking on her hands and knees. Yesterday, out of the blue, she got on her knees and crawled over to me!! I think my cheers scared her :)

Then this morning, out of the blue again, she sat up on her own! We have been working on it everyday and she would just topple over. Hubby put her on the floor and she didn't topple!

Sitting like a pro

If crawling and sitting on her own weren't enough, she also ate her sweet potato puffs by herself today! It is so cute so see her little hands try to grasp the food and get it in her mouth.

I tell you, I think it's exhausting to mature so quickly over 24 hours :)

She can finally sit in her tub and play with her water toys!

I have now informed her that she has done quite enough growing for now and she needs to stop!! :)

Savory Saturday: Butterfinger Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

2011-04-30T06:00:00.004-04:00

I made this dessert for Easter. I knew the weather was going to be in the 80's, so I thought something cold would be perfect and it hit the spot after our great meal.

There are lots of versions of this recipe, but I made up my own with butterfinger and hot fudge. You can use peanut butter, carmel, peanuts, peanut butter cups....there are many options!

Butterfinger Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

18 ice cream sandwiches

1 large container of whipped topping

1 jar hot fudge topping

Butterfingers, crushed (I think I used 12 of the fun size bars...I used a lot for extra crunch and flavor)

In a 9X13 glass dish, put one layer of sandwiches. You will probably be able to use 6 whole and cut a few into halves and quarters. Don't worry about how it looks, just make sure the bottom is covered in sandwiches.

Top the sandwiches with half of the whipped topping. Drop all the hot fudge by spoonfuls over the whipped topping. Put a generous layer of crushed Butterfingers on the fudge. Repeat a layer of sandwiches and whipped topping; top dessert with crushed Butterfingers. **The pan will be very full**

Freeze for at least 4 hours. Remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving.

Fairytale Princess

2011-04-29T17:01:00.000-04:00

The Royal wedding was everything I expected and more!!

The dress, the ceremony, the music, the hats (love!), the kiss(es!), and when the happy couple completely surprised everyone by driving away themselves in the convertible it was the perfect ending.

I thought Kate's dress was gorgeous and perfectly fit for a princess.

My own little princess (who we've called "fairytale princess" since she was born) was running a fever last night and didn't fall asleep until around midnight. By the time she finally fell asleep I knew I wasn't getting up at 4:00! Instead I began watching at 5:30 and it was perfect timing!

EJ decided she couldn't miss the excitement and instead of waking up at 7:00 like normal she woke up at 6:00 when Kate was arriving at the Abbey. She actually sat on my lap and watched the ceremony with me and then zonked out when it was over at 7:00. I have no idea how she knew to plan her awake time so perfectly with the ceremony! She must have really understood all my talk to her this week about the true fairytale princess, Kate! I have to say...she is most definitely her mother's daughter!

Royals on My Mind

2011-04-28T07:28:00.000-04:00

In less than 24 hours, the wedding of the year will commence.

If you know me in real life, you know that I'm addicted to the Royal Family. I have read many books on them and even more on Princess Di.

When William & Kate announced their engagement I was so excited because I knew I'd get to finally watch a royal wedding! I was only 18 months old when Charles & Diana married, so obviously I don't remember it.

My sister was born a day before the wedding and my mom remembers watching the coverage while in the hospital. The newspaper from my sister's birthday has a picture of the newly married royal couple on the front.

I will be one of the crazies who will set my alarm for 4:00am tomorrow morning. I want to watch it live. I want to enjoy it with the rest of the world! I want to feel like I'm there...clearly my comfy couch and pj's will be quite the same as a pew in Westminster Abbey! Maybe I can find a snappy hat for the occasion! :) Oh, how I love the hats the women wear in Britain!

Can you imagine how Kate feels?? She is going to be a princess tomorrow. So many people are commenting on how she's lost a lot of weight lately. Um, if I knew 2 billion people across the world were going to focus on my dress and how I wore it, I'd be dropping the pounds too!! The couple truly seems in love, and I hope they are able to take tomorrow's ceremony and day as their day, not the country's. Do I agree with their lifestyle and how they lived together first? Absolutely not, but it's still a wedding with a lot of pomp and circumstance.

Oh, and clearly I feel like I should be there! I dreamed that the royal wedding was taking place in my neighbor's backyard. Yep, cause it really could happen!! My house was a holding area and I was helping Prince Charles set up, I kid you not, the sound system! :) And the restaurant where I met William, Harry, and Charles when they arrived in town? 0utback steakh0use. Uh-huh, because when I dine with British royalty I clearly take them to the best Australian chain restaurant around.

Don't worry, I made sure that William had a blueberry muffin the morning of the wedding in order that his blood sugar didn't drop. Oh, and don't worry about the groom seeing the bride before the ceremony! Kate never made an appearance in my dream so obviously we had things under control around here!

Wordless Wednesday - 7 Months Old

2011-04-27T16:53:00.001-04:00

Look who's 7 months old today!

Can we please talk about how adorable this little spaghetti strap shirt is?? Her Daddy thinks she's too young for spaghetti straps :) ha! I think they're darling!!

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T09:18:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. We spent time with family and celebrated our risen Saviour!

My uncle and aunt from Michigan arrived in town on Wednesday, and we spent a lot of time with them over the weekend. I love being a stay-at-home mom...I was able to go shopping and out to lunch with my mom, grandma, aunts, and uncle this past week...so much fun!

I had been looking forward all week to the Good Friday service at our church on Friday night, but when I realized it started at 7:00 I just knew it wouldn't work with EJ's schedule. Her sleeping/napping schedule was thrown off last week and I didn't want her in the nursery after her bedtime.

Instead, we went to an early dinner with my family to our favorite fish camp. This was EJ's first time in her portable highchair and she thought she was hot stuff!

She spent most of our dinner staring and laughing at the people sitting near us. I guess we were boring.

Saturday evening was spent with Hubby's family. His mom prepared a wonderful Easter dinner...ham, sweet potatoes, spinach casserole, mac & cheese, 7 layer salad...mmmm!!! We then played Apples to Apples while trying to get EJ to go.to.sleep!!! She never did...apparently we are all just too much fun! :)

We went to church Sunday morning and EJ wore a sweet pillowcase dress that my friend, Jenny, gave her at her baby shower. It was absolutely darling!

I wish I had gotten a family picture, but it was time for her lunch and I changed her clothes to she wouldn't get the dress dirty. After that, I forgot all about it until last night.

Holding her bunny from my parents

We had a great meal at my parent's house and then we enjoyed a break from the heat sitting in the shade on their deck.

Ashley's (my cousin) dress was so cute!!!

Hanging out with the girls on the deck

He Is Risen!

2011-04-24T21:24:00.000-04:00

"He is not here; he has risen!"

Luke 24:6

Happy Easter!

The Most Somber of Days (repost)

2011-04-22T08:35:00.000-04:00

This is a repost from two years ago. I still remember this conversation and my sentiments remain the same.

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

Holy Week.

This week is always filled with such reflection for me. What bothers me most is why do I wait until this week to reflect this much?

One phrase keeps resonating in my mind this week:

"Jesus has overcome, And the grave is overwhelmed"

(From Chris Tomlin's "I Will Rise")

There is so much hope in that statement.

The grave is overwhelmed!

I love Easter. It is THE essence of my faith. It is the reason for everything.

There's a popular Christmas phrase, "Jesus is the reason for the season".

That phrase used to drive my grandfather crazy! He would always say, "Jesus is the reason for everything!"

While that is the absolute truth, His rising from the grave is the absolute reason for everything.

If death had not been conquered, there would be no hope.

At work yesterday I was working on something and questioned if the mail would run on Friday {Good Friday} since it was a holiday.

A co-worker commented, "Of course, it's not a federal holiday. It's not even a religious holiday. It's just another day we get off work."

I was so taken aback by his comment about it not being a religious holiday. How could Good Friday not be a religious holiday?

We spoke a little more about Easter, but his comment has stayed with me.

In thinking more about it, while he spoke out of ignorance, I agree.

Good Friday is the most somber day of the year.

It is not a holiday, it's a day of rememberance.

When I leave our Good Friday service tomorrow afternoon, it will be as every other year. We leave in silence, pondering the Cross and His sacrifice.

It will be with a heavy heart that I continue through Friday & Saturday pondering His death & His love.

But, oh, the glorious day of Easter Sunday morning.

The empty grave. It is overwhelmed!

Easter is our holiday.

Easter is our reason for hope.

Easter is our celebration day of days.

Happy Easter!

Backyard Makeover

2011-04-20T09:32:00.003-04:00

This is the back of our house with the tiny patio that was built with the home. It was a 12'x12' which didn't fit the size of the house or allow much room for furniture and a grill.

Please ignore our (slightly) dead grass -- this picture was taken about a month ago. It has since turned green :)

We looked into having a screened-in porch added, but the price was way out of our budget. Instead, we decided to go ahead and extend the patio which we would have had done with a porch. If we ever decide to add on a screened-in porch, the concrete is ready.

Hubby drew up a design and a few weeks ago the concrete was poured. Hubby also built the retaining wall over the last few weeks and we just got all the shrubs planted on Monday.

The shrubs will grow a few more feet to create a little more privacy.

It turned out exactly as we planned!

We are so happy with the end result and we just love sitting outside during the days and evenings. Our backyard gets shady around noon, so we have lots of shade for the rest of the day to enjoy sitting out there. EJ loves to play in her exersaucer outside and we've already enjoyed dinner on the patio!

Pre-Wedding

2011-04-19T09:40:00.001-04:00

I am beyond excited for the Royal wedding! I have always loved learning more about them and have read many of the books written about the family and Princess Diana.

I will be one of the many who will set my alarm for 4:00am on the 29th so I can watch the fairy tale unfold.

I recently saw this great spoof of the wedding entrance...

First Tooth Outtakes

2011-04-15T06:00:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I posted a picture of EJ's first tooth. It took quite a few pictures to get that ONE good one :)

Anytime I try to get a peek at the tooth or just feel around on her gums, she pinches her lips tight like a vault. Getting a picture was even worse...

"Oh great! Here she goes trying to find my tooth!"

"I will block your shot and put my tooth in the shadow so you can't see it!"

"Fine!! I'll just cover it with my tongue!"

"Listen, Mommy. Please, this is enough already! Here let me hold your hand."

"Ha! You think you're going to put your finger in my mouth again!? I'm going to put MY finger in YOUR mouth!!! How do you like that?!"

"OK, Mommy. Let's call a truce. I'll sit still for just a second and you can take the picture"

Truce.

EJ Catch Up

2011-04-14T15:46:00.000-04:00

My blog friend, Lauren, asked me to post some new pictures of EJ and I'm happy to oblige :) Lauren's little girl, AM, is just a few days older than EJ so it's fun to see how they are both going through the same stages.

This little one is already 6.5 months old!!! I'm loving every moment of being a stay at home mom. She is such an EASY baby...we are so blessed!!

She's babbling (dadadadada) constantly, blowing raspberries, squealing at very high volumes, rolling, army crawling/scooting, growing teeth, and eating like a pro!

Rolling....

Rolling...

I'm gonna get you, Mommy!!!

What? Why can't I hang out under the furniture??

It takes talent to roll while your thumb is in your mouth

First tooth!

Easter Wreath

2011-04-13T09:24:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had a moment of "craftiness" and decided I'd try to put together an Easter wreath.

This was simple and cheap to make! I used a grapevine wreath and hot glued on plastic eggs. It cost about $7 to make this cute craft.

Right now I have it on our front door, but I'm waiting to see how well the eggs hold up in the wind & rain outside.

Legs

2011-03-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

I love these legs!!