Without Condition

My little model

2011-08-28T22:08:00.000-04:00

In just a week, we will be hanging out with my family in Ohio for the first annual Bradley Bunch Bash. My amazing friend Emily, is driving all the way up there so that we can get some good family pictures. Since my sister-in-law loves to dress her boys in matching outfits. We thought it would be fun to put the three nieces in matching outfits as well.

After looking around for a while, we were having trouble finding dresses in the right color combo, so I had the brilliant idea to make matching dresses for the girls. So, I bought a pattern and some fabric and made my first dress. Talk about trial by fire. lol. I am almost finished, so I may actually make the deadline.

This is my first dress. I'm rather proud of it. :) It's a little large on Sophi because it is actually for my niece, Emery. Sophi modeled it by request. And she decided to show off her skills by looking good in the kitchen.

18 weeks

2011-08-15T16:08:00.000-04:00

I am 18 (almost 19!) weeks and can't believe that this pregnancy is almost half way over. Baby is definitely growing and Thursday is our big day for the ultrasound/gender reveal if he/she will cooperate! I've been a little disappointed that I'm not feeling much movement, but every now and then I feel a flutter or roll to reassure me.

I've mostly left behind the yuckiness of first trimester, although I have had some moments of nausea or dizziness at unexpected moments. The weirdest thing about this time around is that I have yet to gain a pound. I am eating, and sadly, not even eating all that well, but I get full very fast and have since the baby was the size of a grape so I'm not sure what that's all about. :) I am hoping that it means I will have less to work off at the end, but we'll see. I'm pretty sure all the fries and milkshakes will catch up with me eventually. lol

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T17:38:00.000-04:00

(Learning to use a spoon!)

Not without some whining

2011-08-09T23:07:00.000-04:00

I am finally feeling a little bit of energy and some motivation to get things organized, but it is resulting in a lot of half-finished projects. I am excited about how things should eventually turn out though. After a year in this house, we almost have curtains on all the windows and art on the walls. I bought some tubs to store things in so we can make better use of the shed and hopefully organize the closets better. And I have been given permission to purchase new bedding for our bedroom when we get some things cleaned out. Yay! I've got one picked out already. But now I have to get to work.

We had a up and down sort of day. Sophi is exerting her independence and I haven't quite found that thing that works for us. I think I just need to be consistent and not let her get away with things. We're working on it - especially the screaming and whining. I know it's not setting a good example. Okay, actually she's the one screaming and whining, but mommy does not have as much patience as she should. Hence the up and down. It really has more to do with me learning how to parent in a new stage.

Sophi really is incredibly helpful and fun (when she chooses to be. lol) She is excited to get clothes out of the dryer and put them on the couch - whether they are dry or not. :) She will start a dance party at the first note of music. Loves playing ball. And it makes my day when she asks for a hug.

Little Things

2011-08-05T15:04:00.000-04:00

Song of the Moment brought to you by JJ Heller
(She is so good!)

There are not enough minutes in the day
I am crippled by the thought of wasting time
I don’t have enough money to heal the poor
So I don’t want to try

But it’s the little things that make a difference
It’s the little things that show love
It’s the little things
A simple cup of water that can change the world
That can save our sons and daughters

I’ll be praying for the widow all alone
Sewing clothes for a loaf of bread
It is not my fault that she is hungry
It’s my joy to make sure she’s fed

CHORUS

We are all related, children of the King
We may not have much, but what we have we bring

Stolen moments

2011-08-03T16:55:00.000-04:00

I hear Sophi rustling around in her crib, so I only have a few moments before naptime comes to an end and find a snack no you can not watch Elmo put that down okay maybe a few minutes of Elmo figure out what we're having for dinner maybe I should wash some dishes so we have clean forks time begins.

I suppose since school started back this week, summer is mostly over. But Sophi's not in school, so I'm still hoping to squeeze out more summer fun. ;) It has been ridiculously hot this summer. And my pregnant self if apparently a bit whiny in the heat, so we have been staying in a lot unless it involves water. Sophi loves any kind of water play. She has had a lot of fun with her little splash pool, but it is not quite big enough for mommy, or anyone really, to share.

The summer has sped by so fast, but I am thankful for the memories we made. I would like a chance to go swimming again before it gets too cool, but other than that bring on the fall weather!

Something new

2011-06-30T21:52:00.003-04:00

Maybe not news to you, since it's been on facebook for a couple of weeks. But we are very excited to be getting a new addition in January! This is a picture from the ten week ultrasound.

Everyone says that it looks like this one has big nose, but it's actually his/her hand up beside the face. Sophi always used to have her hand up near her face (before and after she was born), so I think it's so sweet!

Due date is January 10th. And I am almost a third of the way through! The last six weeks have been a bit of a blur. They have gone by so quickly for the most part (one great part of pregnancy #2). But there were the slow moments when the blur was from exhaustion or seemingly never-ending nausea. This pregnancy has definitely felt different. Maybe just because I am chasing a toddler around, but I think Josh is hoping it's because this is a boy. :) (Really neither of us will care once we get to see that 20 week ultrasound.)

12 weeks and the bump is starting to make it's presence known. Thankfully it is being traded for other pregnancy symptoms and the last week I've been feeling pretty good!

What, I have a blog?

2011-06-29T12:49:00.000-04:00

So, here's the deal. I enjoy blogging, but I find that I go through phases when I get on a write a lot and then get distracted and don't get on for weeks at a time. I love having a blog. It's something just for me and I'm glad my family gets to enjoy updates of Sophi since they don't live very close. But it's not really a priority. Things like playing out on the deck, having lunch with a friend, or boring things like cleaning house and entering records for work come first. And there's not always time left in the day. So, I came to a decision. I am going to write when I can - because it's fun and I want to! But I'm not going to apologize or feel guilty if I don't have the time.

I do hope that I can get on more often. Because we have some fun things planned for this summer! And comments are always good motivation to keep it up. (Hint, hint, hint!!!) See you soon! :)

Just a typical day

2011-05-05T22:21:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-20T08:45:00.001-04:00

McFun

2011-04-18T11:15:00.000-04:00

While in St Louis, we had a playdate with Miss Maggie. Jeff and Megan are good friends of Nick and Lindsey and we've enjoyed getting to hang out with them whenever we get a chance. Maggie and Sophi were born 3 weeks apart.

Believe it or not, Sophi is the older of the two. :)

The last time they got to play together was almost a year ago.

They enjoyed each others company much more this time around.

We met up at McDonald's to eat and explore the play place.

Ruth was just worn out by the whole thing.

A girl and her dog

2011-04-16T09:58:00.000-04:00

We have been loving this spring weather! Sophi loves being outside and it is fun to watch her explore.

So we've been enjoying some fresh air together.

She also loves "doggie" Zummi.

She is always so excited to see him and it seems that he is excited to see her too. :)

In fact, the challenge is keeping him away from her. She loves petting him and chasing after him.

But she's not always a fan of the licking.

Or the fact that he literally runs circles around her when she's in the yard. (To his credit, he hasn't knocked her over though.)

Josh and I joked that my new name is "cracker" and his new name is "doggie" because that is usually the first thing we hear from her.

And since she is hard to resist, Josh usually takes her out on the deck for a few minutes whenever he gets home from work. (And I give her a cracker when she comes back in. lol)

The backyard isn't exactly kid friendly yet, so it's quite a work out to keep up with Sophi when we're outside. Now that the weather is warming up we've got some plans to correct that.

I'm looking forward to a fun summer with my girl! Not sure when she got so big though!

Baby Ruth

2011-04-15T18:25:00.000-04:00

I wasn't really sure how Sophi would react to Ruth. She isn't around kids younger than her very often. (I can maybe think of one time she's actually seen a baby prior to Ruthie.)

I was prepared for some adjustment and some jealousy while we were staying there, but Sophi did so great.

She was definitely curious. She wanted to touch Ruth all the time.

If Ruthie started stirring or making noise or waking up from sleeping, Sophi would rush over to check on her.

If she said the word baby once, she said it a hundred times. lol

Sophi loved holding her.

And giving her kisses!

And a little bit of comparison.

If one of us were holding the baby, she wanted to be held too. Not because she was jealous, just because she wanted to visit the baby.

I was so proud of Sophi and how she wanted to take care of her cousin. It was sweet to see them together. And I can't wait to see them grow up to be good friends!

Shortest ever trip to the park

2011-04-14T10:14:00.001-04:00

When we spent the week in St. Louis, it was the week of crazy weather. The first half of the week was high 70's and sunny while the weekend included a snowstorm with 3+ inches of snow.

But we decided to take advantage of the warm weather while we could and took a trip to a nearby park. It wasn't exactly successful. Instead of woodchips, the filler was smooth pebbles. Which apparently is completely awful.

It would have been alright if we hadn't all been wearing sandals. Sophi wanted to run around, but the rocks kept getting in her shoes.

We tried to swing instead, but Sophi wasn't so sure about that. I think it scared her.

It was fun to get out and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

Even if it didn't last for very long. :)

Wordless Wednesday

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

A Quilt for Ruth

2011-04-12T10:27:00.001-04:00

I made this tree for Sophi's room when I was pregnant with her.

When Lindsey first started planning Ruthie's room, she started out thinking they would go with a bird theme for the room. And she asked me to make a tree like Sophi's. Except they ended up doing something completely different. I don't know if you would say there is a theme exactly. Just a quilted pattern and sweet flowers, pastels, etc. So, she told me I could make whatever I wanted. This is what came out. :)

I had so much fun making this quilt inspired piece for Ruth.

Even though half the time I did things the long way around, it still got done in time for our trip to St. Louis.

I love getting a chance to be crafty. (Especially when it turns out good!)

Build a Bear Dog

2011-04-11T10:50:00.000-04:00

When Nick and Krystal brought the boys to visit, it was a cold weekend. But we wanted to get out and do something fun, so we decided to make a trip at build-a-bear! We managed to fit four carseats and four adults in the van and made the trek to Louisville together.

Bryce got along so well with Sophi. Since he is older, I didn't expect him to enjoy playing with her so much. But I guess his big brother skills came out, because he was so great to her. He sat by her in the car and enjoyed talking to her and entertaining her during the drive. And they played well at the house too. It is special to think of my big brother's boys filling that big brother role for my girl. We love cousins!

Anyhoo, this was the first time any of my little family had been to build-a-bear and it was a lot of fun! Some of it went over Sophi's head, but she was still at a fun age for it.

Thanks for a family pic, Krystal!

We picked out a dog because Sophi is really into "doggie" right now.

She enjoyed carrying it around the store.

She picked a heart out of the bin and gave it a kiss before slipping it in to her dog.

We were a little stumped for a name (since build-a-bear also includes a birth certificate for your animal). Nick had the great idea to use Sophi's middle name, so now she sleeps at night with her "Gracie Dog".

The whole gang having fun!

The boys had already made their animal friends on a previous trip, so they were making a special friend for their baby brother, Blake.

They each got to choose a heart to add, so Blake's dog would be full of love.

It was cute to see them excited to do something special for their baby brother.

Washing up!

~~Blake~~ Nick couldn't resist the Red's uniform.

We had a great time! It was so much fun to share this memory with their family.

Disclaimer

2011-04-10T21:50:00.000-04:00

(Typical)

I just spent a while editing photos from the past two months (via picasa). There are so many things that I want to share from the last month. And since this is the only scrapbook I have so far, we are going to back up a bit and catch up. :)

So this is my disclaimer.

And this is my cutie ~~getting into trouble~~ treasure hunting.

Epic Fail

2011-04-05T23:05:00.000-04:00

1) Blogging - I have many, many pictures of fun times, silly Sophi, some bargain hunting, a recipe, and my adorable niece. (Okay well maybe I can throw one of those in.) So much writing inspiration, so little time.

2) Lent 2011 - Since I did bring it up, I feel like I should be honest enough to tell you that I am on day 11 of reading the emails for lent. It is now day 28. And the little journal entry suggestions - I have competed 0. sigh

3) Dishes - because the only time my sink is not full of them is after my mom or SIL, Krystal have come to visit and they are probably going to stop visiting if I don't start washing dishes on my own.

4) Having a Usborne book party - This will happen. It WILL. I am determined. But the one scheduled for Sunday had to be canceled because Sophi was running a high fever. This was the 3rd party to be re-scheduled - so hopefully 4th time's a charm.

5) Spring cleaning - In case #3 didn't tip you off, house cleaning is not my strong suit. This weekend the main rooms did look pretty nice (for the party that didn't happen), but it was at the expense of our office/guest room. Which now needs to be cleaned out because we will have guests this weekend! So, let's be honest it will probably get shuffled. Because like it or not, that's how I roll. I am excited to do some painting in the near future though.

Party like a rockstar

2011-03-19T23:55:00.000-04:00

Ash Wednesday

2011-03-10T22:39:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know - today is Thursday.

The season of Lent always seems to creep up on me. I think the idea of giving something up for a period is good, but to me the point is to use that time, focus, etc. to focus on God instead. Deciding the day of that I will give up sweets because the calories are bad for me anyway, just never seemed to ring true. I'm not saying that God couldn't use that to speak. I guess it's really about my motivation though. If my reason was to pick something quick so that when someone asked I would seem super spiritual ... well, I just decided it was better not to give up anything at all.

Having said that - I am participating this year. (And I don't say that to seem super spiritual. ha.) My friend, Micky, linked up to World Vision on facebook and it caught my interest. So I have signed up for Relentless Acts of Justice. Every day during the season of Lent, I receive an email with something to read and direction to pray about, think on, etc for that day. I am excited to have something to go along with and curious to see what direction that takes. There is also the option to do this with a group, but I will probably just end up processing some things on here.

And yes, I did still sign up to do it the day before it started. But that's okay. And it's not too late to sign up now if you're interested. I also was linked up to these ideas reccommened through our church, if you're wanting to go in a different direction - a daily reading from Online Lenten Devotional and 40 Days of Water through Blood:Water Mission.

My first email included this Franciscan Blessing. I will leave you with it:

May God bless you with discomfort. Discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. Amen

May God bless you with anger. Anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. Amen

May God bless you with tears. Tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy. Amen

May God bless you with foolishness. Enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen

And the blessing of God, who creates, redeems and sanctifies, be upon you and all you love and pray for this day, and forever more. Amen

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

Care

2011-03-07T23:26:00.000-05:00

My friend, Tara, has been keeping Sophia while I am working in the mornings for a while now. Her daughter, Bella is only three months older than Sophi and they all have a great time together. With the start of the new year, we have changed over to Sophi staying with her for my entire work day. I am so thankful for the excellent care and attention that Sophi gets. I am able to get my work done without distractions and not feel guilty in the least because I know Sophi is loving it. When I asked her the other day if she wanted to go bye-bye and see Bella and Tara, she gave me a huge grin.

Tara and I have been friends for almost 4 years now. I appreciate her friendship and the many conversations we have had so much. Some days when I go to drop off Sophia, it's hard to leave. I just want to stay and hang out and have fun with them. (Even if our conversations now revolve more around baby clothes, eating habits, and nap routines.) But knowing how much she loves my baby has opened up a special place in my heart.

Being a working mom is not something that I ever had on my radar. I would still love to be able to quit my job, and am very to be thankful that I get to stay home on certain days of the week. But knowing that Sophi is cared for and is learning while I am away gives me so much peace.

Jalepeno Popper Pizza

2011-03-05T14:19:00.000-05:00

Josh got this yummy recipe from someone at work.

1 pkg. crescent rolls (flattened out)
4 slices bacon or 1/4 cup real bacon bits
1/2 red pepper (around 1/4 cup diced)
2 jalapeno peppers
5 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar, divided

Heat oven according to crescent roll directions. Flatten and seal seams on cookie sheet. Bake 5 mins and remove.

Finely dice bell pepper and jalapenos. Saute with bacon for 2-3 mins or until just soft.
(Love those colors!)

Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar, pepper and bacon mixture in bowl and mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture over crescent. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake additional 5-8 mins or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

I don't have a picture of the finished product because I was too excited to eat them!

Introducing ...

2011-03-03T22:25:00.001-05:00

After all the anticipation, I had to share some pictures of my sweet little niece.

Ruth Nicole was a stubborn little thing (but then look at her parents). After 45-50 hours of labor, she was delivered via c-section on Friday night. I have been able to talk to Lindsey and see Ruthie on Skype. But it will be a couple of weeks before we make the trip to see them. ...

... which makes Ruthie sad, but somehow we will all make it til then. ;)

I can not wait. Really - I have to not think about it too much. Can. not. wait. to get my hands on this cutie.

Yummy!

2011-03-02T22:57:00.000-05:00

This week, the ladies of the church got together and went to war. Cupcake war. It was so fun and quite the sugar high. (Actually even more cupcakes came after this photo was taken.)

I ended up at a table of four, so we got a sampler of all the cupcakes and split them up to get a taste of each. And that was my dinner. Did I mention sugar high? I was really impressed with the creativity of the cupcakes - turtle, chocolate chip cookie dough, raspberry filled, oreo surprise, etc. and the winner - strawberry lemonade.

MmmmMmmm ... I may need to go dig in to the leftovers now. See ya!

Accidental Parenting

2011-03-01T18:59:00.000-05:00

In one of the (very few actually) parenting books I have read, it talks about accidental parenting. The author of The Baby Whisperer, Tracey Hogg, writes of it in regards to how a baby learns to sleep. (Not sure if she coined the term or not, but it is the only place I have heard it.) Parents start doing something out of desperation or simplicity and discover down the road that they have "taught" their child to go to sleep a certain way even though they don't wish to continue in that routine.

Even though she is writing about it in a negative light on sleep habits. I think a little bit of this "accidental parenting" happens to everyone. A routine or method, any part of parenting really, is kind of fallen into and becomes the norm without a real decision ever being made. The situation determines whether this is negative or positive or neutral. The idea that came across to me is that if something is important, than you need to be intentional. Think it through, decide how you want to handle certain issues, like discipline, before you are in the middle of a situation. Don't just react.

Parenting a one year old is completing different from parenting an infant. I still find it pretty intimidating really. That Josh and I are in many ways responsible for how this little person turns out. That we have to train her and not just tell her what to do. And I'm sure this will only get more complicated as she gets older. They (whoever they are) say that a child learns what is caught more than taught. It has really made me think a lot about my own life and especially my walk with the Lord. There are so many good things that I want for her - for her future, her character, her relationship with God - and it makes me want those things for myself too.

So what about you parenting veterans? Have you found yourself doing any accidental parenting? Things that have become issues down the road to avoid? Things that have turned out great? (Go ahead, give yourself a pat on the back and we'll pretend that was on purpose.)

She's coming! She's coming!

2011-02-24T10:15:00.000-05:00

My sister Lindsey is in the hospital right now. Soon (meaning hopefully today), she will give birth to what can only be a beautiful baby girl. I am crazy excited. I can't wait to meet my new niece and it is killing me that we live hours away. I know she will have plenty of support there, so I am trying to wait patiently for the week that Sophi and I get to visit. (I keep telling myself there will be less competition for holding Ruthie that way.)

I am so thankful for technology - getting progress updates through facebook, texts and picture texts, a skype date when they get home from the hospital. I may be the annoying sister that won't leave them alone, but she annoyed me for about twelve years so it's fair really.

These are some pics from the baby shower for Ruthie in Ohio. I thought it was appropriate since we are celebrating today as well. Can't wait to kiss those little cheeks! We're cheering for you, Lindsey. You and Nick are going to be wonderful parents.

Wordless Wednesday - The girl loves to read!

2011-02-23T10:25:00.001-05:00

14 month vocabulary

2011-02-08T15:43:00.001-05:00

Sophi has turned into a little chatter box and sometimes she says actual words. :) I thought I would share her vast knowledge.

Dada
Mama
Bye-bye
Night-night
Hi
Hello
Uh-oh
Please
Thank you

Love you
Nana (banana)
Kitty
Meow
Doggy
Arf, arf
Ducky
Quack
Ball
Yay
Up
No no
Yaya (yucky)

iwantone

2011-01-29T12:51:00.000-05:00

So, to make a very long story very short. I do not have good luck with phones. I think they hate me. So for the past year and a half, I've had different issues on and off. (Don't get an LG Neon! They are defective.) My Christmas/birthday present from Josh is to get a new iphone 4, but I am not eligible for an upgrade until March.

So, I was left needing a phone that works, but not wanting to buy a new one when I could get an iphone if I wait a few more months. My sister, Lindsey stepped in and saved the day by letting my borrow her iphone (which she was not using the phone function on) until that point. First of all, I love it. But secondly, it reminded me of this post from Dave Barnes' blog. It literally made me laugh out loud, so go read it.

I also found this photo on his blog. Which has absolutely nothing to do with iphones, but still makes me laugh.

Growing Girl

2011-01-27T22:37:00.000-05:00

Sophia has gone from baby to toddler in just a few short weeks. She is now walking everywhere and has developed a little stubborn streak. She is saying a lot more words and repeating things when the mood strikes her. She will pick up books on her own and "read" them by babbling some language that I don't yet understand. And she loves bath time in the big girl tub with her toy fish.

Oh, and she likes to cheese for the camera. (Which we did not teach her to do.)

The change between 12 months and 13 months has shocked me. I was expecting it when she turned one, but somehow thought time would slow down for me after that. Now, we are coming up on 14 months and I keep staring at her wondering when my baby turned into a little girl.

But enough sappy stuff. I only meant to comment on ways she has been learning and growing. :) It is definitely more interesting learning to parent and train her as she grows more independent. She is still a little tyke though. I think she was around 3% for weight at the 1 year visit and 12% for height. (But still taller than mommy was around that time.) We took her back last month to make sure she was gaining weight well, and she had gained 5 oz to make it to a whopping 17 lb, 3 oz. She just tends toward petite I guess. Though the addition of whole milk is putting some fat rolls on her. :)

She's doing much better about sleeping through the night, which was probably helped along by the weight gain. And the fact that 3 out of 4 molars are now through - #4 is on it's way, and I hope after this we get a little break from teething. That will bring the total to 10 teeth!

So maybe you don't care too much about all the details, but I suppose one day I will be difficult to remember, so I'm keeping a record. ;) Basically, we love our girl!

Snow Play

2011-01-26T17:29:00.000-05:00

Sophi's first experience going out in the snow involved 20 minutes getting ready and warm, but only about 5 minutes outside.

We don't really have a snowsuit for her, but we made do with lots of layers and a pair of boots that will probably fit better next winter.

She wasn't sure what to think of the mittens. :)

All ready to go play!

She loved exploring and wanted to get down and walk around
.

But some combination of too-big boots and snow covered ground made her end up on the ground a lot.

Whenever we laid down to make a snow angel, the flurries of snow were falling in her face. I promise she was not crying.

Daddy tried to get her to lick some snow.

The first thing she did when we got in was go over to see the doggie. :) (Note the cute scarf hand-made by Aunt Kati.)

A Book a Month

2011-01-25T21:25:00.000-05:00

So, I don't do New Year's resolutions. But my friend, Emily and I were discussing books and I definitely did not read as much last year as I would have liked. (Something about not being able to keep my eyes open.) Josh and I did listen to some great books on cd and I'm sure we will try to keep finding new ones. I thought I would be fun though to set a goal of one book a month and do some reading that is not just fiction. So here is a list of books I would like to read. So far this month I have been working on LOTR on cd, but eventually I will try to read instead of just listen. :)

What is your favorite book?

~ Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado
~ The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
~ Shepherding a Child's Heart
~ Beth Moore study
~ Photography book
~ Tender Mercy for a Mother's Soul: Inspiration to Renew Your Spirit By Angela Thomas
~ Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
~ A Series of Unfortunate Events
~ Interrupted: An Adventure in Relearning the Essentials of Faith By Jen Hatmaker
~ The Hole in Our Gospel: What does God expect of Us? The Answer that Changed my Life and Might Just Change the World By Richard Stearns
~ Accompanied by Angels: Poems of the Incarnation by Luci Shaw

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T20:22:00.001-05:00

Christmas Travels

2011-01-04T14:07:00.001-05:00

This Christmas we traveled to Arkansas. We left on Christmas Eve and drove ... and drove ... and drove. What should have been a 7 or 8 hour drive was turned into a 10 hour drive thanks to the "White Christmas" aka snowy weather. Sophi serenaded us with accompaniment at the top of her lungs for a little less than half of it.

After a horrible trip in the car, we had a wonderful visit. A house had been rented that was large enough for all the families to have a room. It had a game area in the basement (taken over almost immediately by the guys, their game systems, cards, and ping pong). There was also a heated pool that everyone enjoyed.

Sophi loved being down and exploring.

The living room had a step down area and she loved playing on the steps.

It was actually perfect, because I could let her enjoy them without worrying she would fall.

Which was helped by quite a few extra pairs of eyes.

She also enjoyed walking in circles around this table.

I had to get a pictures of Krystal in this chair because I thought it looked like a throne. Which is really appropriate since she remains the queen of her house after finding out that they are expecting boy #4! Of course, we are all sure he will be just as charming as his big brothers.

But she does take the time to spoil her little princess nieces. And she knows chocolate is the way to a girls heart. :)
We missed Matthew, Whitney, and Emery, but are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with them (and the rest of the gang) in Ohio later this month.

Home for the Holidays

2011-01-03T16:30:00.000-05:00

aka In which I attempt to cram all of our Christmas adventures into one post and fail miserably

I thought I would share a few highlights from our wonderful Christmas season.

This year was especially fun since Sophi is starting to get in on the action. She enjoys the decorations. We got this gate for my piece of mind, but have had the gate down all weekend (since Josh and I are both here to watch things) and she really hasn't bothered it at all.

At a family Christmas for Josh's extended family, we always get a visit from Santa. Sophi wasn't too keen on being left in his lap, but was happy to stare from mine.

Santa gave her a teddy bear that she loved.

Although Sophi didn't understand what all the excitement was about, she was ready to dig in to the presents.

And even though she is a wonderful gift to us, she didn't like being reminded of it.

This gift from Aunt Kati and Alex was a smash hit. She walked back and forth across our living room the rest of the night. (Needing a little help each time she was ready to turn around.)

And even though we don't really play with cars, she was making appropriate noises the whole time. You know, the kind that you can't really spell out.

She is also in a phase of giving kisses to her toys which is so sweet. She was moving in for a smooch on this gift from her Great Aunt Carolyn.

Here is Sophi with her sweet little cousin of some number ... second, third, I don't know how to do the math. But Josh's cousin gave birth to Jack on the same day that my sister Lindsey is due to the deliver her sweetie. Well, different years obviously. They had a good time playing together on Christmas Eve.

All Things New

2011-01-02T14:46:00.001-05:00

I love the new year because it feels so fresh. It's like a blank page spread out before us. In truth, it is nothing more than marking the passage of time. Yet we, as a culture, embrace it so readily - the desire for a new beginning. I love these verses because they remind me that I do not have to wait until December 31st to have a begin anew.

^{Lamentations 3:21-24}

²¹ Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

Because of who You are and who I am in you
You make all things pure
Because of who You are and who I am in You
You make all things true
You make all things new

And I'm so thankful for this life that I know
That I am no longer what I was
Because of Your love
And the beauty of the cross
I can see Your work in me
All things new
All things new in me
All things new
All things new in me

(Lyrics from All Things New by Watermark)

Happy New Year! May your year be filled with mercy, hope, and love found in our Lord.

One year pictures

2010-12-22T00:03:00.000-05:00

(Okay last birthday post.)

A one year old is definitely harder to photograph. Not that I took these. Emily always exceeds my expectations and she did a great job! In spite of Sophia moving around constantly. About the time I would get her to smile at me, she would start crawling my direction. :)

(This pouty face might be one of my favorites.)

A Tale of Two Birthdays

2010-12-19T22:34:00.009-05:00

I thought I would rewind a bit and share some pictures from Sophi's first birthday. :) We got to have two parties and I'm pretty sure she loved it. When we were at my parents over Thanksgiving, we had a family party. Sophi was a little unsure what to think of the cupcake, but she still managed to enjoy being the center of attention.

The following weekend, we had a party for some family and friends at our house. Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Nick were able to come stay for the weekend. Aunt Lindsey made her famous cupcakes. Sophi managed (for once) to sleep exactly when she needed to get a good nap and wake up in time for the party. :)

After practicing in Ohio, Sophi demolished her cupcake. Or maybe she just takes after mama and prefers chocolate.

Venting

2010-12-14T22:02:00.005-05:00

Disclaimer: This post does not have pictures. I have a gazillion pictures that I would like to put in a post, but a) it is too overwhelming to tackle at this moment b) that is an exaggeration, it is more like a thousand c) that is an exaggeration too, because my memory card was not put back in my camera and I did not take pictures of things I would have liked to take pictures of - like ICE, Nashville, my first sushi experience, etc, d) this is the longest sentence ever. End disclaimer.

Somehow, December has not only hit full force, but is already half way over. We've had quite a few uneventful snowfalls and if the hype is to be believed quite the ice storm will be hitting before the week is out. I choose not to believe it because I need our electricity to stay intact. And I really need to go grocery shopping tomorrow without being mobbed by everyone who needs to buy milk before the snow hits - whether or not they have milk at home already or in fact actually drink milk.

We have already survived two birthday parties, one actual birthday (first ever!), two family visits, one cookie exchange, one particularly nasty stomach bug, two new teeth that are going to be making a appearance any day, a overnight stay in Nashville complete with Sophi's first sleepover at Meemaw and Pappaw's house, and two sinus infections (one for each parent). And although my house is showing some serious neglect, we have enjoyed every minute of it. (with the huge exception of sickness, because who enjoys that?) And Christmas is not even here yet!

Work has been crazy lately. And I mostly just needed a break from entering records online. I have had so many older cases that needed pulled - which almost always get drawn out into a week long ordeal. And then dealing with that causes me to fall behind in other things. I am trying not to resent that it is consuming my evening and likely a chunk of my day "off" tomorrow. Right. My day off in which I also get to wash a ~~sink~~ kitchen full of dirty dishes, take Sophi to get her one year shots, and avoid getting mobbed in a grocery store all while dodging ice falling from the sky in my mom-mobile. (I am that hero!)

Haha! I really do love my life. Now, back to the crazy cave!

Happy girl

2010-12-12T09:56:00.000-05:00

These are not recent, but I came across them again recently and they are some of my favorite snapshots. :)

1 Year

2010-12-06T15:41:00.002-05:00

Dear Sophia,

One year ago today I held you in my arms for the first time. The past twelve hours faded away. I couldn't believe that you were finally here and you were mine. I fell in love with your big blue eyes, your soft skin, and your sweet baby smell. I was so excited the first time I realized that you got your Daddy's dimples.

The past year has gone by so quickly. It seems like every week you are changing and learning new things. I love the look on your face when you are concentrating and seeing something new. I can see the wheels in your mind turning. I love the way you make me see the world in a fresh way.

You are such a good baby. You have been since the start. You love attention and smiling at people. Your first word was "dada" and it is so sweet to see the two of you together. You always have a big smile for him when he walks in the door.

Your laughter brings me pure joy. You make every day better. Even when you are driving me looney, you can still bring a smile to my face in an instant. You've started giving hugs and kisses and it melts my heart.

I can't imagine our life without you in it. I thank God for filling our lives with joy. I am excited to see what your next year will bring.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Can I just be honest for a minute?

2010-11-30T23:49:00.000-05:00

I've been hearing the same message a lot over the past few weeks. In it's simplest form it is this - God just wants me to love Him. Everything else is overflow. If I do not love, I am nothing. (1Cor. 13:2)

And it's bringing me to see some things that I don't like about myself. About my life. About the fact that I don't love God. In my head, I do. I am in awe of him. I am so grateful for his mercy and grace that I do not deserve. Being a parent has taught me so much about the love God has for us. And I realize that I don't have that same love for him in return.

I want to just delight in his presence. To forget about doing more. To forget about fixing myself. To forget about making sure I follow all the steps to being a "good Christian". To search him out because I just want to be in the same room with him. To know him and his character more deeply. To see what his heart beats for and quit stressing out over all the things that I know it doesn't. To see this thing as THE thing.

So I never lose sight of your love,
But keep in step with you, never missing a beat.

Psalm 26:3

(And check out this post, from my friend Lyndsay. )

Cousins

2010-11-24T09:23:00.000-05:00

Well, that pretty much sums it up. I have lots to do in the next few hours before we leave for my parents, but am sooo looking forward to seeing the family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When it feels like too much

2010-11-22T19:43:00.005-05:00

I was linked to this blog by a friend of mine. I started following and came upon this post. Just go read it. It is not long, but says a lot. Go now! :)

BFF's

2010-11-18T16:42:00.000-05:00

Sewing

2010-11-17T10:34:00.001-05:00

For the first time since it was given to me, I pulled this out last week.

This is the sewing machine that I learned how to sew on. It is probably as old as I am too. But I am so thankful that my mom passed it on to me when she found a new one (probably at a yard sale if I know my mother.)

I had to google how to thread the needle and load the bobbin. But I finally found (free) instructions here. Sewusa.com was extremely helpful after I found soo many sites only offering to let me buy a manual.

I'm easing into using it again by only sewing straight lines.

My friend Amber has an embroidery business and she is so creative!

I sewed the ribbon on these burp cloths to get them ready to be personalized. Aren't they cute?

As a trade off, I am getting one of her tutu sets for Sophi's birthday.

Stinkin adorable!

And using the sewing machine again has inspired me to try more things. Maybe like this dress.

Ten little toes

2010-11-10T20:51:00.000-05:00

Sophi has this thing for shoes. On the one hand she loves them. On the other ... foot, she hates wearing them. I put shoes on her only for her to pull them off in five minutes. (Or less - depending on the shoe.)

These for example, would be less. Which is a shame because I paid only $1 for them at a yard sale and think they are so cute. I'd wear them if they were in my size.

She does, however, think they are a great toy.

And yes, she was carrying this around in her mouth like a dog for a good 15 minutes. The shoes have the teeth marks to prove it. (Which doesn't sound like much - but is a crazy long time for a toy to hold her interest.)

I guess it is my own fault. Josh is the one that is always wearing at least socks. (She like to rip those off her feet as well.) But I love being barefoot, so she must have got it from me. She'll probably love flip flops one of these days.

Today

2010-11-08T23:27:00.003-05:00

I ...
... am watching the Harry Potter movies in order to get ready for the big release of the next film. Tonight is #3.

I ...
... bought skinny jeans at JcPenney's using $10 off $10 or greater purchase. They were $12 even after all that, but I am very excited to wear them with my boots. It is going to be hard to save them for Christmas.

I ...
... almost forgot that Sophi has an appointment tomorrow.

I ...
... am looking forward to finding out if I get any more jewelry sales. More free items would be fun!

I ...
... think a visit to the chiropractor may be in my future.

I ...
... have put off washing the dishes for far too many days. I think we are down to one clean cup, zero clean dinner plates, and plastic utensils. But it probably won't happen until morning.

2010-11-07T21:13:00.002-05:00

Had a very full and enjoyable weekend. I will be posting some pics soon, but in the meantime have a listen to this song.

We sang it at church this morning. The entire worship time was so meaningful and humbling. Such a wonderful reminder of the grace and love of Christ.

Psalm 113

¹Praise the LORD!

Praise, O servants of the LORD.
Praise the name of the LORD.
²Blessed be the name of the LORD
From this time forth and forever.
³From the rising of the sun to its setting
The name of the LORD is to be praised.
⁴The LORD is high above all nations;
His glory is above the heavens.
⁵Who is like the LORD our God,
Who is enthroned on high,
⁶Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?
⁷He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
⁸To make them sit with princes,
With the princes of His people.
⁹He makes the barren woman abide in the house
As a joyful mother of children.
Praise the LORD!

Caught

2010-11-04T23:32:00.000-04:00

I heart penguins (well this one anyway)

2010-11-03T23:26:00.001-04:00

For Sophi's first Halloween, we went to a event at the zoo. :) Basically, we just walked around and took photos. I would totally go again next year though. It was cute - and nothing scary allowed.

Our sweet little penguin enjoyed taking it all in.

Here's our little happy ~~feet~~ family.

We were really glad that's Josh's family got to come along. Sophi had fun playing peek-a-boo with Pappaw's hat.

And actually, Pappaw is the one she was smiling for in most of the pics. :)

You won't be sorry

2010-11-02T21:33:00.004-04:00

Today awesomeness costs only $10.00. I am so excited to own this cd. Merry Christmas to me!

Is there such thing as too much chocolate?

2010-10-31T21:51:00.001-04:00

Friday at Josh's work everyone brought in food to celebrate a birthday on the team. And, as is usually the case, Josh informed me that he needed food on Thursday at about 9:00. ... PM. So, we were trying to put something together without running out to the store.

I convinced Josh to help me with some no-bake chocolate cookies. I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand. Somehow, maybe the chocolate didn't boil long enough?, they did not set up right and ended up a pretty sticky mess. That didn't stop us from sampling them with a spoon though.

So, try number 2 - brownies from a box. I put them in the oven around 11:00 and made Josh stay up to get them out. He ended up bringing home about half of the pan.

So, we now have a double batch of cookies and half a pan of brownies in our house. And he also brought home some donuts from work that were left over that morning.

Oh, and these that we had just finished off the day before.

Yeah, we did not do any trick-or-treating. We have too many treats already. So long, diet. My waistline will miss you.

(I do have some great pics for later from Sophi's first Halloween though!)

I can cry if I want to

2010-10-27T22:48:00.003-04:00

I've seen a bit too much of this expression tonight. Only without the hat.

Poor Sophi has been cranky the last few days, enough so that when she just would not be distracted tonight (even with food), I decided to take her to urgent care. Based on the way she acted last time she had one, I was so sure that she had an ear infection. I didn't even want to wait until tomorrow to take her to the pediatrician. Just hook us up with some antibiotics and we'll be on our way.

Of course, once we were in the waiting room, she decided to act like nothing was/ever had been wrong. An hour and half later (and there was only one person in front of us!), we finally made it home in time for her to go to bed. And mommy was starving. Her ears are fine. But Josh and I both think that something is bothering her. Teeth maybe? A sore throat? I don't know, but I felt like crazy, overprotective mom at the urgent care office. "I promise, she was acting like something was wrong."

Now she is sleepy peacefully and with any luck will stay that way until morning. And she weighs 17.4 in case you were wondering.

Pregochondriac

2010-10-24T23:09:00.000-04:00

So, I have discovered something about myself. Since experiencing the strangeness that comes with being pregnant, it's all too easy to wonder at any other strangeness that my body experiences. And once that little seed of wonder gets planted in my mind, it grows fast. Yes, I admit it - I am a pregochondriac.

If I get indigestion, it must mean I'm pregnant - so what if I pigged out on pizza and soda for dinner.

If I feel bloated, it must mean I'm pregnant - so what if there were beans in that dip.

If I get a migraine, it must mean I'm pregnant - so what if I used to get headaches all the time without a Sophia growing inside.

If I'm up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, it must mean I'm pregnant - so what if I drank two glasses of water before bed.

If I feel the need to nap, it must mean I'm pregnant - so what if I went to bed late last night ... the the 10 nights before that.

And so on and so forth. Let's just say I am very grateful for $1 pregnancy tests, because I may or may not have used about 10 in the last year.

(And no, I'm not pregnant. ... I checked.)

Woolgathering

2010-10-19T20:20:00.002-04:00

So, I am sitting on the floor in Sophi's room waiting for her to fall asleep. She pretty much ignores me (and I her) unless I try to leave the room. So ... laptops are great!

Work is really picking up around here - probably gearing up for the holiday season. I should be spending time entering records, but I needed a bit of a break. Plus my battery is about to die anyway. :(

Josh and I have been trying to do some more house projects. Lately, we haven't been making time for that so there are still a lot of projects waiting. Rooms to paint, boxes to unpack, etc. He has been working on making the master shower usable. There was some drywall that needed replaced and some tiles to re-grout due to water damage. The toilet also needs replaced because it doesn't flush properly. But we're getting close! It will be nice to have two bathrooms again and it will be the first time we've ever had two showers. I'll post some before and after pictures if I can find what happened to the "before". And, you know, if we ever finish.

We ate potato soup for dinner. It's one of my favorite fall foods ever! well, that and all things pumpkin. Especially nice because we just now finished off a big pot that I made this weekend.

Planning lots of things lately! Looking forward to a big clothing giveaway! I've been on the planning team and things are coming together amazingly. Excited to make some art (by request) for sweet Ruthie's room. Also picking out clothes for a fun, all girls, photo shoot on Friday. And I really want to squeeze in a trip to a pumpkin patch this month.

Already beginning to finalize some holiday plans. We will be going to spend Thanksgiving with my family since Josh is finally out of retail work, and does not have to work black friday. December will include Behold the Lamb concert put on by our church, first birthday party for our sweetie, mini vacay to Nashville, and a trip to/family reunion in Arkansas. I can't believe it is already time to think about Christmas!

Then & Now

2010-10-18T20:29:00.000-04:00

Reminiscing

2010-10-17T22:28:00.003-04:00

I've got baby girl on the brain this weekend. Our friends had their baby girl, Sydney Grace on Saturday. They delivered at the same hospital that we gave birth in almost a year ago. It makes me think about what they are and will be experiencing over the next few days. Such a precious time.

Also on Saturday, my sister Lindsey got to see her little one through ultrasound. They found out that they will be having a little girl. So Sophi is very excited to meet her cousin Ruthie in March (maybe even February). :)

This picture, first of all, is the clearest ultrasound picture I have ever seen. Also, it makes me fall in love a bit. I am so excited to have a new little niece. And she already has a whole wardrobe just waiting for her to be born.

Much love!

2010-10-14T22:18:00.011-04:00

Can I just say it was ridiculously hard to pick out these photos. There were so many good ones to choose from. Once again, Emily did a fabulous job.

I love our little family.

I love seeing my wonderful husband become a wonderful daddy.

I love our beautiful baby.

I love seeing her explore her world (and think it over apparently).

I love her many expressions.

And I love that scrunched up little nose.

Somehow, she even made me love pictures that I'm actually in. Maybe it's just the accessory.

More house pictures

2010-10-13T21:44:00.000-04:00

Guest room (not yet painted - we did not pick that color!)
Dining room with our awesome huge table that seats eight.

Dining room again...
... with the awesome piece of art that my brother, Matthew, created. Who, coincidentally, had a birthday today! (You can see more of his work here.) Happy birthday! Too bad you don't read my blog or you might see this shout out.

It is amazing how much work we have done on the house and how much is still left to do. I don't mind so much that there are projects left - I guess that comes with owning your own place - but I'm ready for all the half finished stuff to be complete. One of these days. :)

Crockpot cooking

2010-10-07T18:03:00.000-04:00

I love, love, love cooking with my crockpot. My friend Miranda, posted about crockpot cooking and inspired me to share some of my favorite recipes. Most of the ones I use involve chicken & sauce served over rice or noodles. But now that the weather is turning cooler, I may branch out to some soups. My favorites come from this cookbook (and I've only tried one that we didn't really like).

Cream Cheese Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 T. butter, melted
1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1/3 c. cooking sherry
2 T (1 pkg) dried italian salad dressing
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

Place chicken in sprayed, slow cooker. Brush (or drizzle) with melted butter. Add remaining ingredients. (Mix first, for a smoother sauce.) Cook on Low 6-7 hours. Serve over egg noodles.

Apricot Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (12 oz) jar apricot preserves
1 (8 oz) bottle Catalina or French dressing
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup water

Place chicken in sprayed, slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover chicken with sauce mixture. Cook on Low 5-6 hours. Serve over rice.

Creamy Salsa Chicken
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (1 oz) pkg dry taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup sour cream

Place chicken in sprayed, slow cooker. Add 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle taco seasoning mix over chicken and top with salsa. Cook on Low for 5-6 hours.

When ready to serve, remove chicken breast and place on platter. Stir sour cream into salsa sauce and spoon over chicken.

Review: Venom & Song

2010-10-04T22:14:00.006-04:00

You may or may not remember that I received a book to review through Booksneeze. I am very excited to write my first review (and add a new book to our collection.)

Venom and Song
The Berinfell Prophecies: Book 2
by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper

This is the second book in a series about seven, elven lords of Allyra. Returning to Allyra after 13 years of taking refuge on earth, the young elven lords are thrown into training and battle preparations. Still coming to terms with their new future and struggling to master their special powers, the lords must conquer challenges from without and within. They must unlock the key of the Rainsong in order to prevail over the evil Spider King and time is running out.

The story had adventure, suspense and humor. I was drawn into the world of Allyra and had trouble putting it down a few times. Allyra is created well. There is enough similarities to our own world that it is easy to picture with enough differences to get a feel for somewhere completely foreign. The characters have realistic flaws and the authors did a good job showing their growth through the story.

My biggest issue with the story was that the number of characters was hard to keep up with. There are seven main characters in the elven lords, plus the adults who are their protectors, plus the main characters on the enemy side. It was hard to keep straight sometimes. This book is number 2, but even after reading the first book I still got mixed up. The character index in the front did help, but when you're in the middle of a chapter you don't want to have to flip back to it all the time.

I wouldn't call it a must read, but if you are a fan of fantasy fiction you would probably enjoy this series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com bloggers book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

My little rockstar

2010-10-04T20:37:00.000-04:00

A little woolgathering

2010-09-23T23:11:00.004-04:00

Baby bed-head is so cute. (Much more fun than my crazy morning hair.)
I can't decide if I am glad that summer is hanging on so long or not. But if this means fall is non existent I will be very upset.
I'm aware of a lack of anything deep on my blog. I would like that to change, but in some ways it is a reflection of my life right now.
I finally got around to doing those dishes that I planned to do on Tuesday. Can I be proud of myself for that?
Little girl's pajamas are way to expensive. I think I need to go yard-saling soon.
I have not been a good girl when it comes to eating this week. But so far I have lost seven pounds! I really need to go grocery shopping so I can actually cook a meal sometime.
I've been enjoying some much needed time with friends this week. Girl's night on Tuesday, lunch today, breakfast tomorrow. Sometimes it's encouraging just to have some girl talk.
Excited to find out next week if I'll be getting a niece or nephew. (One of each works for me too.)
Confession - I used the thesauras because "thoughts" seemed like too boring of a title. However, the definition of woolgathering is "indulging in wandering fancies and purposeless thinking". The second part is right on.
Week of TV premier's. Wish I didn't love it so much, but I'm most excited about NCIS (and LA) and Survivor.
We had gotten way to comfortable just mostly unpacked. I am soooo not motivated to finish painting, organizing, and emptying boxes. But one day it will happen.

This whole post is pretty pointless (aka purposeless). But I don't want you to feel like it was a waste of time or anything. So I am sandwiching the randomness between two cute pictures of Sophi. See? That's better.

Makes me wanna ...

2010-09-17T21:05:00.000-04:00

This blog makes me wanna buy a t-shirt.

This pattern makes me wanna sew.

This blog makes me wanna be a photographer.

This post makes me wanna glaze our kitchen cabinets.

Just thought I'd share! :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T21:34:00.001-04:00

Won the war?

2010-09-12T19:28:00.000-04:00

Just thought I would share some pictures of our wonderful (and large) living room now that it is mostly set up. (FYI - the window treatments are not correct yet.)

Love this clock I found (on clearance!) at Target. And note how baby equipment has totally taken over our home. lol

There are still two boxes in the corner that I need to unpack, but for now I'm excited about how it is coming together.

Oh, and this? This is Josh's doing. I definitely lost that battle. It doesn't look bad exactly, but I'm not ready to say it looks good either. We're thinking of calling him Ralph. But I won the war - because there's still one more of these that Josh left at his parents house.

Reunion of sorts

2010-09-11T09:48:00.000-04:00

It's been a couple of weeks ago now, but we were so excited to get a visit from our friend Ebert!

Josh and Ebert have been friends since before I was even in the picture (or at Campbellsville for that matter). Then she and I got to be house buddies during my senior year at CU.

It didn't feel like so much time had passed, but we hadn't gotten to see each other since before I was pregnant. Sophi enjoyed meeting Ebie. :)

We went to Steak & Shake to get lunch with Emily, who also shared the house on Duffy Street, and her hubby Dusty. I fully intended to get pictures of us girls, but became distracted by the cuteness of my girl. (Sorry!)

She looks so mischievous here. :)

This was her first time in the high chair at a restaurant. She seemed to enjoy it. And the car that Dusty put together for her.

Her little wrinkled nose is so funny!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-08T08:45:00.000-04:00

I love long weekends!

2010-09-05T20:47:00.003-04:00

We are having an amazing weekend. And I am so glad that I do not have to go to work tomorrow. :) Josh went with his dad to Indy on Saturday to see some drag racing while Sophi and I stayed to do some house cleaning and grocery shopping. I know exciting right? But I am so proud of the progress we made (And to give credit where credit is due, Josh did help before he left at noon.)

Late that night my brother Matthew and his wife, Whitney arrived with their baby girl Emery. Emery is almost exactly six months older than Sophi. And of course, Sophi thinks that Emery is the greatest new toy ever. Emery seems a bit put off by Sophia's enthusiasm though. lol I am taking loads of pictures and will try to get some up when I get a chance to upload them to the computer.

Right now, I am sitting beside Sophi's crib as she tries her hardest not to fall asleep. :) Last night at bedtime, I was putting Sophi's clean clothes away in the dresser during this time and I turned around to see her standing up in her crib! (and grinning at me like she knew she had done something special.) Well, after just about having a heart attack, I decided the crib needed lowered - and now. She slept in the pack-and-play that was waiting for Emery to arrive and I tackled the crib. It got done, but I think next time that will be Daddy's job.

Mommy Guilt

2010-09-03T22:56:00.000-04:00

So Josh and I were having a discussion about Mommy guilt. He didn't really know what I was talking about so I was trying to describe it to him. But there are just so many aspects that I didn't do a very good job. So, I decided to google it for a definition and found this blog post that explained perfectly. Not to mention it is hilarious. :)

The Laws of Guilt

Guilt (from Wikipedia): a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes - whether justified or not - that he or she has violated a moral standard and is responsible for that violation.

Parenting Guilt, also known as mommy guilt or daddy guilt (my definition): feeling like crap because you think you're not doing well enough as a parent.

After much scientific observation and research, after drawing from my own extensive experience with guilt, here are Three Universal Laws that I have developed to help parents understand and cope with this complex emotion:

I. Murphy's Law of Guilt: If there is anything out there that a parent can feel remotely guilty about, he/she will. Funny or sad, trivial or serious, there is always something. Here are some of mine:

* Eating my child's Halloween candy and telling her it all melted together.
* Throwing away her kindergarten drawings.
* Missing that crucial slamming of the door that broke my son's finger because I was in another room.
* Ignoring my daughter's complaints of a stomachache, only to find out the next day that she had food poisoning.
* Putting the telly on so that I could have an hour (or two) of uninterrupted blogging time.
* Telling myself that a McDonald's Happy Meal isn't so bad..... 3 days in a row.
* Buying my child candy at the grocery store to calm a temper tantrum.
* Wishing I could could spend time away from my kids.
* Wishing I could spend more time with my kids.

The list is endless. Those last two, by the way, are a perfect example of my next Law....

II. Law of Conservation of Guilt: The total amount of guilt in the parenting world remains constant. Guilt cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another. For example....

* For every mom that feels guilty about buying her daughter too many American Girl doll clothes, there's another mom that feels guilty about not buying her daughter any AG doll clothes like all her friends have.

* For every mom that feels guilty about abandoning her kids to a nanny or daycare, there's another mom that feels guilty about yelling at them because they've been annoying her all day.

* For every dad that feels guilty about stepping in to resolve an argument between his son and another boy, there's a dad that feels guilty about leaving his son resolve the conflict on his own.

Actually, all those examples are personal ones. I've been on both sides of these situations and felt guilty both times.

III. Third Law of Guilt: For every feeling of guilt there is an equal and opposite way to absolve that guilt.

Sorry, here is where my theories break down. I have absolutely no idea how to get rid of that guilty feeling.

I think we all want to be the best parents we can be to our kids, and that guilt is a normal emotion we experience when we examine the parenting choices we make (or have made). We wonder if an alternate choice would have been better -- and sometimes we know it would, and admit we settled for second-best for various reasons -- and voila, here comes the guilt. Rather than getting rid of the guilty feeling, maybe we should just accept it for a while for the human emotion that it is. Then we should either resolve to do better or resolve to be more confident in our choices, and move on.

State Fair

2010-08-31T16:03:00.000-04:00

Pretty sure this one is fairly self-explanatory.
Us. At the state fair.
...

Water play

2010-08-30T08:29:00.000-04:00

One morning after Sophi finished breakfast, I decided to put some water on her tray and let her splash around. I'm pretty sure I had read this idea somewhere, but I'll go ahead and give myself a pat on the back for it.

She had a great time and just splashed around for 20 or 30 minutes while I did the dishes.

Of course, she managed to get herself in the face a couple of times.

We'll be trying this again. But next time I will put a towel down under the high chair first.

At least that's what I'm telling myself

2010-08-28T22:26:00.000-04:00

We declared this weekend (and specifically today) a time to work on the house. Sophia did not get the memo. Last night and today she has been a ~~little~~ lot more clingy that usual. I'm thinking it may be teeth. But who knows, I'm starting to think teething is just a catch-all for any odd behavior. Because at least then I can tell myself that when her teeth come in things will go back to "normal".

Anyway, Josh and I still managed to get quite a bit done. Including scrubbing the kitchen floor from where I busted a can of soda all over it, making a grocery run, sorting some things from the guest room closet, filing the dogs nails (definitely a 2 person job), assembling a new cabinet for our bathroom (yay for Josh!), etc. And actually, the more I type the better I feel about what we accomplished. :) Except my back is making me pay for it. Hopefully nothing a good night's sleep won't cure.

Oh, and I did this for a baby shower tomorrow!
Definitely the most fun project of the day. Combining two things I love - fun patterned paper and babies!

The blocks are going to be name blocks, like the ones I did here. But the name has not yet been determined. They are not even finding out what they're having until the big day. Brave! But the giraffes in their nursery will be adorable either way.

I've also started counting my calories this week using sparkpeople. It's been more challenging than I anticipated and I only started Wednesday. I am going to either do one free day during the weekend or give myself some additional calories during the weekend, because I need some kind of reward to look forward to. :) I'm learning a lot that I never paid attention to before - like how many calories are in fast food and what a serving size really is (bigger than I thought for veggies, smaller for everything else lol).

I haven't yet added in workouts, but I'm hoping to do that as well. Just starting small with like 10 minutes a day or going for walks with my friend (who now lives down the road!). My goal was to try to lose 2 pounds per week until I make it to my goal weight, but I don't have a lot of hope for this week. I've been over my range every day but one so far. :( Today at the grocery store I bought some healthier/low calorie snacks - things like fruit, wheat thins, and 100 calorie packs. Hopefully it will help to have more options when I get hungry.

I do want to lose weight, but really Josh and I are just trying to be healthier and teach Sophi good eating habits. I feel really good about the changes we are making. If you have any tips let me know.

Bedtime

2010-08-25T19:29:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who shared (here or on facebook) about sleep habits. We've made a few changes that seem to be working well so I thought I would give a quick update.

We've starting a bedtime routine that seems to help a lot. I don't know if Sophi appreciates it, but I certainly do. We aren't too strict with it because we're not always at home in the evenings, but if we are it goes like this...

Beginning around 7:30pm Sophi -
1. nurses
2. plays quietly with Daddy
3. eats warm oatmeal or cereal mixed with fruit
4. get snuggles with Mommy while we rock and read a story

This book was given to us as a shower gift and we have been reading it at night. It's very sweet and has Bible verses on almost every page. I'm hoping that if I read it enough, I will have them memorized (and you never know she might too!)

After that, she lays in her crib. I have found that if I just stay in the room with her she will play contentedly in her crib (usually until she can't hold her head up any longer). I've just been bringing in my laptop to do work (or blog) or the book I'm reading, or occasionally I'll hijack Josh's iphone. So it's really easy for me to be in the room.

Sometimes she puts herself to sleep and other times I help out by rubbing her back or head, but overall it's been painless.

On a side note, I took these pictures because I thought she was sleeping so sweetly with her hand on the owl. I was messing around with a couple of night settings on my camera so that I wouldn't have to use the flash.

I didn't realize that this setting would give an extra flash! I was so afraid she would wake up from it, but she just kept on snoozing. Whew!

The new 'do

2010-08-23T20:45:00.001-04:00

Well here are pictures of the haircut. After losing about 8 inches of length this is definitely the shortest my hair has ever been.

So far I like it. It definitely looks better when I take time to use the straightener though. Which I wasn't doing before. But lets just be honest, I wasn't doing much of anything to my hair before. So now, at least I feel like I have a little style. :)

And one more thing - my sister is bossy.

Achoo

2010-08-23T08:12:00.000-04:00

I signed up for an online program called BookSneeze. Basically new books from Thomas Nelson publishers are available for review. I agree to read and post a review of the book on my blog (as well as another website like Amazon), and they ship it to my home for me to keep. Sounds like a good deal to me!

I received my first book in the mail right before we moved. I finally got around to starting it, but it is book #2 in a series. And I found it a bit confusing to follow.

Just this week, I was able to get book #1 from the library. I am very excited to read it.

To be continued ...

He's a Jolly Good Fellow!

2010-08-21T21:38:00.006-04:00

My hubby celebrated his 25th birthday this weekend. (Yesterday to be exact.) We've had a great time celebrating - starting with dinner at the mexican restaurant when he got off work Friday. We actually were meeting his team from work for a going away party, but they made sure to include a little feliz cumpleanos.

And this is his long awaited birthday gift. Ever since we picked out the name Sophia for our daughter (which was when I was around 6 weeks pregnant), he has talked about getting her name in Greek tattooed on his leg.

Here is the final product. We think it looks pretty great!

I'm so excited that he was able to get something that he has really wanted. We're also hoping to see Inception sometime to wrap up the birthday fun.

Happy birthday, baby - I love you!

Sweet Sleep

2010-08-19T20:53:00.001-04:00

There is something so precious about a sleeping baby.

Something I can't quite describe.

But if I could, I would use words like
calm

innocent,

peaceful
It almost makes me want to snatch her back up and snuggle her in my arms ....

.... almost.

Quick takes

2010-08-18T22:20:00.000-04:00

One of the blogs I've been reading does this thing with seven quick takes of anything you want. That sounded easy to me, so I thought I'd give it a try:

Seven shallow things about the way I look

Since moving into the new place, I have (consistently on the scale) lost one pound. Apparently running around like a chicken with it's head cut off burns calories. That means since Sophi turned one month, I have now lost a total of (drumroll please) ......

... one pound.

I dug up some earrings that are just studs yesterday. I love dangly earrings, but my ears do not - because a certain someone likes to touch my face and seeing that pretty thing hanging there is way to tempting not to pull on. (And no, I'm not referring to Josh.) I still wear them probably twice a week, but when I went to put in some earrings for church Sunday, I realized my holes were closing up! Ouch.

I have a new hair cut. I saw some pictures of myself recently that convinced me the haircut wasn't really doing anything for me. Especially since it is so hot out that all I do is wear a pony tail every day. I was thinking of getting a perm, but decided to go short! I can feel air on the back of my neck short. So far I love it, but I haven't yet tried to style it on my own.

I finally bought these boots that I have been drooling over since last winter. Now I'm ready for it to cool down just so I can wear them.

Except that I just spent a couple of weeks hunting down a swimsuit. I finally found one (on clearance) that actually looks pretty good. At least it covers what needs covered and fits properly. :) So maybe it needs to stay warm enough to get some use out of it.

If it stays flip-flop weather though, I definitely am in need of a pedicure. I haven't had my toes painted since May! That's like flip-flop taboo or something.

I broke a nail today. It kind of hurts when I type. (And seven was harder than I thought!)

I like cameras

2010-08-17T22:51:00.010-04:00

I love that Sophia lets me take pictures to my heart's content. And can I just say I am so thankful for digital pictures? I delete even more than I take. The little sweetie is on the move! More and more of my photos are looking like this.

Or this...

Even blurry she's quite the cutie!

Sophi's also pretty curious about my camera.

What is that thing you keep putting in my face, mom?

It's so shiny. Can I touch it?

Better yet, let me taste it!

Singing Standing in the rain

2010-08-12T23:15:00.000-04:00

I got a pickle

2010-08-10T21:50:00.001-04:00

Must. sleep.

2010-08-09T21:45:00.003-04:00

Sooo, I'm wondering if any of you mommies have tips for getting a child to sleep and sleep through the night. Is there something you tried that worked for you?

I do NOT want to do the cry-it-out method. If Sophi is just whiny or fussy she might put herself to sleep, but once she starts crying she does not soothe herself to sleep. I'm not willing to go there (and I don't really think that is the best thing for her).

I have been looking into the "No Cry Sleep Solution", but I don't actually have the book so I don't know everything that it entails.

Basically, Sophia is 8 months old now. We rock her to sleep, which I do not mind, but I'll probably start transitioning so that by 1 year she can go down while still awake. What is getting to me is that sometimes rocking isn't cutting it. She fights sleep really well. And from the point of bedtime to her actually staying in the crib in can be 2 + hours. In the night she usually wakes up 2 times before 7:00. She sometimes puts herself back to sleep and sometimes needs a pat on the back and a pacifier. Occasionally, it takes longer, but I don't feed her at night anymore.

Any tips for her sleeping better, getting to sleep easier, or me keeping sane, etc. are welcome. :)

Smarty-pants

2010-08-03T21:56:00.007-04:00

Reading already!

Don't Judge Me

2010-07-31T11:14:00.000-04:00

I've been planning to work on our front yard for weeks now. It definitely looks hillbilly trashy - like we need a few mismatched tires and an RV that doesn't work in the driveway. The front porch is the worst. Mostly because it would take the least amount of time to correct and yet it has looked like this since the weekend we moved in.

This is the sink that used to be in the master bathroom. It's super tiny. We replaced it with one slightly larger and it made a world of difference in that room. Josh flattened the wood on this and moved it so it does actually look a little better in the yard now.

These are my flower beds. The weeds are totally taking over. But I am excited to have them (the beds not the weeds).

Mixed in with that jumble of weeds there are actually some nice plants in there! When we first looked at the house, it was early in the spring and it didn't look like there was anything in them. This hosta is my favorite.

I'm not sure what this one is, but it looks like it might get some blossoms at some point.

My goal for this year is to get everything weeded out and cleaned up, maybe put down some landscaping paper and mulch. Then in the spring I hope to add some plants and flowers. I've never done this sort of thing before so if anyone has some suggestions let me know!

Check it out

2010-07-30T19:43:00.000-04:00

Look at those teeth!

This seems like it could be one of those blackmail pictures later on in life. :)

Boo!

2010-07-29T11:01:00.000-04:00

My camera batteries have died, and there are no more in the house (or if there are they are packed away somewhere). Sad day! I was going to take pictures today.

I have some new posts percolating. But no time to write, so for now I leave you with a link. :) Coming from a large family, I loved this post on Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions. Can't tell you how many times I've heard questions like that. Head on over there since there's nothing good to read here. lol

Bouncing here and there and everywhere

2010-07-27T12:56:00.000-04:00

Remember the Gummi Bears? It's one of the few cartoons that Josh and I both watched and loved as kids. In fact, we have a few episodes on dvd.

And the one with the hat and spectacles? His name is Zummi. I have no idea how they spelled it, but it rhymes with gummi. Whenever we were still in the apartment and watching the cartoon one weekend, Josh decided that he wanted to have a dog named Zummi. So for a couple years now that has been the plan. And now that we have a house where pets are allowed, it didn't take long to put that plan in action. :)

Zummi has already grown in the weeks he's been with us.

He is a very well-behaved puppy, but still a puppy. He likes to jump and play and chew on things and run in the house when he is supposed to stay in the backyard.

He decided the string on my pants was a toy that I brought for him. :)

And wow! Those eyes are really photogenic.

This little chew toy is the one that fell out of our tree the other night and scared me to death with the racket! But thankfully nothing was damaged (I mean other than the tree lol).

I have to be honest

2010-07-25T22:05:00.000-04:00

So I spent some time making fun of this catalog. And the crazy stuff they sell. But as I was leafing through (and mocking), I have to admit there were a few things I would consider buying. So, I figure it's only fair to show the other side.

I could totally see this making a cool backsplash between the stove and my imaginary above-the-range microwave. If I actually had one, I would probably buy them.

This would come in handy for our new house. I might see if they're available in stores.

This seems a little pricey to me, but great way to free up some drawer space.

Okay, I definitely spend too much time in the car because this looks useful.

This is wonderfully insane. I actually do give Josh his haircuts and I would buy this in a heartbeat if I thought I could actually get him to wear it. Correction, if I thought he would actually let me take a picture of him wearing it. I mean, look how happy that guy is.

Torn over Trash

2010-07-24T21:23:00.000-04:00

I have been reading a blog called My Dear Trash. The site is written by two women who shop thrift stores and sell items on ebay and craigslist for income. My sister and mom introduced me to it because they have been starting their own ebay stores.

I find myself torn. I think it sounds like a lot of fun and would love to start a fund for our potential Florida vacation next year. And at the same time I find myself struggling to keep up with things as it is. I'm thinking about setting a goal of posting 10 items a week and see how things go for a couple of weeks. There aren't a lot of inexpensive thrift stores around here (that I've found) and yard sale season is almost over, so it would be a good test run for a couple of weeks. Then maybe come next spring I'll have enough experience to either dive in or run away. lol

I've always loved the idea of re-finishing or re-purposing items to sell, but it can be time consuming. I'm trying to be pretty creative about doing this when decorating our new home. I'd love to do larger items like furniture, but those are more of a risk since there's a higher up front cost. Maybe one day.

Swimming

2010-07-23T12:06:00.000-04:00

Josh's parents have an above ground pool at their place, so the last time we were there during the weekend we decided to introduce Sophia. And you know I can't let a first go by without getting some pictures.

At first, she wasn't too sure what to think about the water. I think it was colder than what she's used to, but once she had been in there for a bit she decided it was fun after all. :)

We had a blast. Hopefully we'll get another chance to swim before the weather gets colder.

We were supposed to meet some friends at a public pool today and swim, but poor Sophi is running a fever. I'm pretty sure it's from teething, but I'm keeping an eye on her. She is definitely not feeling herself. But she's been getting lots of naps and cuddles. So hopefully we'll get a rain check for next week (you know minus the rain.) :)

Or current resident, part 2

2010-07-22T20:42:00.001-04:00

Apparently, bathroom humor sells.

For only $14.98, you can have your own farting piggy ~~butt~~ bank. "Add more loot, hear more toot." I have to say, I don't really care to hear farting noises, but if I did I don't think I should have to pay money for it. Isn't that something that's around for free? Or at least comes free with the purchase of beans?

I kind of want to buy this one. It would make an awesome white elephant gift. Especially to someone who is pregnant. It could remind them that it's time to go to the bathroom again ... and again ... and again.
By far the worst of the worst.

I don't know who came up with this one, but I'd really like to know why they thought it was a good idea to drink brown liquid out of a toilet bowl.

Or current resident, Part 1

2010-07-21T19:04:00.018-04:00

We received this catalog in the mail at the new house. One of those junk mail things that was sent to the current resident. I started flipping through it and was so amused that I thought I should share a few faves.
For those of you who think it is just too difficult to crack an egg by hand ...

Okay, so let's just be honest - I'm a little curious to see how this works, but as for practicality why would you want to wash a gadget like that every time you need to crack an egg?

And while we're on cooking gadgets, here's a gem.

I really wish they would have showed someone wearing these, because they have to be super stylish. And if you didn't know you can pop an onion in the freezer for about 15 mins and then the scent won't make your eyes burn. Or just use swim goggles if you're that desperate.

Okay - this one just looks creepy. That can't be healthy.

Speaking of creepy ...

In case you missed it that is 207 pages of the "secret and mysterious world of cats" including "extraordinary mental and psychic skills .... even clairvoyance and mind control!" And it looks as if that cat on the cover is trying to practice a little bit of mind control on you right now. Buy this book! We will reveal all our secrets and then take over your mind and soon we will possess all the tuna in the worrrld! Mwahaahaa. Don't look him in the eyes.

And at the end of a long day, you can always relax using these...

One at at time please

2010-07-20T23:30:00.004-04:00

This is my friend Jenn. Her son Mason was born almost exactly a month after Sophi. Unfortunately she has now come down with mono. So yesterday Mason spent the afternoon at our house so that she could get some rest. (I'm not even going to get into the morning we spent waiting for new tires.)

Sophi is at a great age where she is so entertained and excited by other kids. When we got home and I pulled Mason out of the carseat, Sophi started immediately kicking her legs, laughing, and reaching for him. It was adorable. Mason thought she was pretty fun too.

I was an interesting day. Thankfully, Sophi did not get jealous. There was one low point where I looked over at Sophi playing on the floor and realized that she had overflowed her diaper. Did I mention she was playing on the floor? On our new carpet? With poop all the way down her leg? And she was wearing shorts? And Mason was ready for his bottle and not happy about waiting for me to clean her up? Yeah, we could have done without that one. But on the plus side that had to have been a personal best for Sophi. lol

It was fun getting to see them interact together. I have once again come to the conclusion that I cannot imagine having twins though. :) It wasn't too difficult taking care of the two of them, but I certainly did not get anything else done. And he went home at the end of the day.

After we dropped Mason back off at home, we went over to our friends house for dinner. It was nice to relax and not have to cook. We also played a great game of spades. Guys vs. girls. The guys were way in the lead at the beginning, but we crept up on them like a ninja. We got within 20 points of their score, but didn't actually get to finish the game. I think it could have lasted another hour, but Sophi had woken up and needed to get home for bed. So we called it a draw (which if you ask me means we would have won if there had been time). Great end to a busy day.

Dinner and a movie

2010-07-18T23:52:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Meemaw, Josh and I got to go on a date! We went to see the movie The Scorcerer's Apprentice. It was good. We then got dinner at California Pizza. Kitchen. It was also good. I would go again, but I think next time I would order something different. With the exception of dessert. We don't usually order dessert, but this was sort of a re-do of our anniversary date. So, special occasion and all ... we got this -

Chocolate Soufflé Cake

A Belgian chocolate soufflé cake, served warm with CPK's triple-thick hot fudge on vanilla bean sauce. Also available à la Haagen-Dazs.

Wow. It was so good. I would go again just to order that. And maybe not have to share it. :) Forget dinner. So now Josh wants me to learn how to make a chocolate souffle if anyone has a good recipe.

Almost as exciting as getting to go on a date was that Sophi did great while we were gone! We were away from 2-8 and she didn't freak out. It is so nice to think that we can leave without her having a break down while we're gone. She has also started sleeping better during the night. Hopefully, now that things are more settled down that will continue.

Meet Zummi

2010-07-14T10:21:00.000-04:00

Josh has been talking about owning a dog since we got married. We love the fact that the house has a fenced in backyard. And from the time we started talking about buying the house, usually the conversation would include the phrase "We could get a dog." (And you can probably guess it wasn't coming from me.)

I'm not much of a pet person in general, but I suppose a dog, a well-trained dog, would be at the top of my list. It would have been fish, but we tried that - they were surprisingly hard to keep alive.

So over the holiday weekend, we visited a animal shelter that had some puppies that had been found. Mostly mutt, but we were told probably mixtures of lab, german shepherd, and beagle. Of course, once we saw the puppies, we couldn't leave without agreeing to bring one home.

Meet Zummi.
He is between 7 and 8 weeks old. Obviously a puppy is not well-trained ... yet. But he has been better than I would have expected. Mostly he stays outside during the day and sleeps in a crate inside at night. He has only had one accident in the house and is already doing better with commands like come and stay.

Sophi loves Zummi.

I'm actually quite surprised at how excited and tickled she gets when he is around. Her grandparents on both sides all have dogs so she has seen them before. She usually just stares. But with Zummi she gets excited and wants to pet him. It is adorable.

And he is pretty patient with it.

So, hopefully, they will be good friends. :)

201

2010-07-13T00:16:00.010-04:00

Just noticed that I have 200 posts now. Yippee!

Some thoughts buzzing around lately:

You know it is time to trim the baby's nails when you have to check for blood after she scratches you. Yikes! Thankfully, I finally remembered where the clippers are.

I'm gonna be an aunt (again)! My baby sister is having a baby. And now I have a better understanding of when Whitney would tell me she was so glad I was pregnant and she was not. Hearing Lindsey talk about indigestion brings back memories and makes me want to throw in an evil laugh. lol

DVR is awesome. But on a rainy day like today, it is possibly too convenient.

I love having a washer and dryer! Two weeks without has made me very grateful. Strangely, I missed my dryer more than I missed my stove. But with the exception of the ice maker, all appliances are now up and running.

It is a good thing Josh is not in the military. By the time I got everything unpacked and settled in it would be time to move again. Because I'm beginning to think it might take a couple of years. Although come to think of it a year and a half is the longest we have gone in our marriage without a change of address.

I wonder if it is as much fun to dress little boys as it is little girls? Probly not - they don't get hair bows.

My nose is itchy!

When the Bachelorette laughs it kind of sounds like she is crying.

Here are a couple of pictures of the new house. (Including all the moving mess.)

Living room after the new carpet was installed:

Kitchen:

Sophia's room:

Without Condition

My little model

18 weeks

Wordless Wednesday

Not without some whining

Little Things

Stolen moments

Something new

What, I have a blog?

Just a typical day

Wordless Wednesday

McFun

A girl and her dog

Baby Ruth

Shortest ever trip to the park

Wordless Wednesday

A Quilt for Ruth

Build a Bear Dog

Disclaimer

Epic Fail

Party like a rockstar

Ash Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Care

Jalepeno Popper Pizza

Introducing ...

Yummy!

Accidental Parenting

She's coming! She's coming!

Wordless Wednesday - The girl loves to read!

14 month vocabulary

iwantone

Growing Girl

Snow Play

A Book a Month

Wordless Wednesday

Christmas Travels

Home for the Holidays

All Things New

One year pictures

A Tale of Two Birthdays

Venting

Happy girl

1 Year

Can I just be honest for a minute?

Cousins

When it feels like too much

BFF's

Sewing

Ten little toes

Today

Psalm 113

1Praise the LORD!

Caught

I heart penguins (well this one anyway)

You won't be sorry

Is there such thing as too much chocolate?

I can cry if I want to

Pregochondriac

Woolgathering

Then & Now

Reminiscing

Much love!

More house pictures

Crockpot cooking

Review: Venom & Song

My little rockstar

A little woolgathering

Makes me wanna ...

Wordless Wednesday

Won the war?

Reunion of sorts

Wordless Wednesday

I love long weekends!

Mommy Guilt

State Fair

Water play

At least that's what I'm telling myself

Bedtime

The new 'do

¹Praise the LORD!