Our first crop

Yesterday I pulled up our first crop....radishes. On the envelop is says to harvest them in 22 days. Yesterday was day 23, so I thought I had to pull them or else they would start to rot. I know....not the smartest kid on the block, I think. Here they are.

They are pretty pathetic. Not even big enough to do anything with them except compost I think. My friend Beth said I should leave them in the ground longer...much longer. Who knew? I thought I had to harvest them with the packet said so. hahaha. I have more in the ground, I'll wait with those.

Other than that, other veggies are looking good. Our peas, beans, zucchini and cucumbers look the best. We've planted corn twice, and both times about day 6 when they start to sprout, little holes are made every few inches where they were planted. I think birds come and eat them. I haven't tried again since the last time. Our lettuces don't look great, but I'm not expecting much from them this summer. We really want to plant sweet potatoes, but I can't get any sprouts from my sweet potatoes to plant. Any suggestions???

A few cool pictures to share.

A comment that really Bugs me...

This morning we went to story time at a local library. Actually, I didn't know story time was taking place, we just happened upon it. Anyway, the librarian was reading a really cool pop up book in the shape of a hamburger. Each layer of the hamburger was made of something silly (like the lettuce was a yucky old sponge) with a bug in it....all kinds of bugs. When the librarian got to the ketchup (made of red poster paint), the bug that popped out of the flap was a cockroach.

Nicole said, "Hhhuuuhhh...mommy, just like at our house!"

Yeah, I just about died. Hey....we live in Florida, and I've never known a Florida home without la cucaraches every once in a while. And she saw me kill one a few weeks ago which I believe is why this is fresh in her memory

The Answer...The Question...and The Comment

The Answer...
Well, I have had some funny guesses to my mystery picture. Now to put some of you at ease (Jen K. :-) I did not intentionally take a weird picture. In fact, I didn't take the picture at all, Jeremy did. Here's a recap of some of the guesses...

humm ... looks like the inside of a light fixture to me??
I think your mystery picture looks like a yellow ball inside of one of the donut shaped toys you stack with
Your dad thinks the picture is a M & M in chocolate sauce. Hum, I think its an egg yolk in slim with brown food coloring.
It looks like an egg yolk
It looks like a bagel with an M&M in it, or it could be an egg yolk, but can't figure out why the brown is around it.
I THINK I KNOW WHAT IT IS! Sorry for the personal nature, but is it your crazy way of sharing your special news? Such as your specimen that was tested?

It seems like "egg yolk" was the most popular guess. But, you are all Waaayyyy off. Jeremy took a picture of his orange juice on Sunday morning looking straight down into the cup. It was a tall opaque blue cup with just a bit of OJ left in it. I was trying to find the cup to take a more normal photo for you, but I can't find it. It must be in his work van. So....no one gets dinner.

The Question...

So, what is this "special news" some have been alluding to both here and on facebook? I suppose it's time to let the cat out of the bag officially. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I am pregnant:-) I'm not very far along, but for some reason we couldn't contain ourselves this time. I'm about 6 1/2 weeks and due in mid November. Obviously, I am still in the "danger zone" as far as miscarriages are concerned which was why in the past we kept it a closely guarded secret. I realize it could still happen, so all I can do it trust that whatever does happen, the Lord is in control and all things will work for His good and His glory. Obviously we are praying for a healthy pregnancy and baby. Everyone is asking if we want a boy. I guess the honest answer is yes....it would be great to have a boy. I know Jeremy would love to have a son. But, we both are quick to say though that we take a girl anyday because we know how fun and special they are. If the baby is anything like either Nicole or Hannah (and they really are both pretty different from each other) than we would be happy. This of course is why I haven't been feeling so great lately. I don't want to talk about it though, because I feel good right now and I don't want to get my head thinking I shouldn't, if you know what I mean.

The Comment...
All of my mommy girlfriends out there should head over (yet again) to the Girl Talk blog. They have been doing a nice little series directly specifically to mothers of young children. It's been both encouraging and convicting to me. It's well worth your time to read the past week or two in posts (and the posts are short, much shorter than mine!). I also finished two books yesterday... Stepping Heavenward by Mrs. Elizabeth Prentiss and The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis. The Magician's Nephew is part of The Chronicles of Narnia series and I really enjoyed reading it. I'm going to read all the books int he series, I think it'll be fun.

Answer coming soon

Hey ya'll...the answer to the mystery picture is coming soon. I haven't been feeling well, so it's just been low on my list of things I'm not doing to post it with a more recognizable picture. I'll try tomorrow.

Pretty in Pink

Last night on our way home from a birthday party, we got a phone call from our neighbor who said that someone was spray painting our mailbox....PINK! At first we were mad since there has been a bit of mischievous activities in our neighborhood lately, but who would do something in broad day light? Then, the person on the other line said, I think you might know him. Crazy something...Crazy Dan maybe? Oooohhhh...Crazy Dan. Jeremy's friend and co-worker. These two are always doing something to each other (as of late, Jeremy has been tossing fire crackers at Dan as he gets into the van). Anyway, here is our pretty pink mailbox (I erased our address numbers which is why there is a big white circle in case any creep-os happen upon this picture). So...what do you think?

Jeremy spray painted it black right away. I thought he should leave it at least for a day. We could see the mailbox when we first turned on the street....that's how bright it was:-)

And, here is a funny video of Hannah doing pull ups at the kitchen table. This kid is amazing. Oh, I decided to add a couple more clips to the video. As you know, last Friday we went to the beach with Grammy. Hannah was not thrilled with the sand and Nicole couldn't wait to "roll around" in it. So...here are the two contrasting and opposite sisters.


And a cute picture of Nicole and I.


Finally, if you can guess what this picture is, I may consider buying you dinner. Any guesses?????

Beach Day

Today was Grammy's day off and we took the girlies to the beach. It was a lot of fun. Nicole was excited to "roll around in the sand". Hannah was not to thrilled about the sand until near the end. We made little sand castles, picked up shells, and had a picnic. It was a perfect beach day. However, the water was FREEZING!!!! Brrrr.

Memories

Yesterday at MOPS a lady spoke who has a high schooler, a middle schooler, and an elementary schooler. She didn't have any great new revelations about motherhood, but she did do a great job at reminding us why we do what we do, and encouraged us (me)in our (my) ventures. We have been so busy lately and I'm tired. I'm tired of being gone so much, I'm tired of running around, I'm tired of trying to meet everyone's expectations. So, this talk was good for me. I am inspired to get back down to the basics of why I am a stay at home mom. I'm not a stay at home mom to constantly be gone and hang out with other people. I am a stay at home mom to be with, raise, train, and teach my darling little girls. I want to have tea parties more often, play in their house, play in the pool, read more books, take more walks, and chase (Nicole for now) around the house. My absolute favorite days are the days when we are home with very little on the agenda. Both girls (ha, I should say all three...me too) respond better on days like that.

Well, after MOPS, Hannah fell asleep on the way home, so Nicole and I went inside, made lunch, and had a picnic outside...like we used to do ALL the time! It was fun, and she was super duper excited. Then, it was nap time so she slept (and so did Hannah!!!!!) and I got down to business picking up the house. After naps though, we went outside again and both girls got to play in the kiddie pool and swing for a while. It was fun. Hannah wasn't sure what to do about the pool. She just crawled in and out of it for most of the time. But, she definitely had fun.

After Jeremy came home, we had a yummy dinner and went for a walk to get ice cream. In my opinion, a perfect evening.

I love my life. I love my family. I want to treasure my moments with my girls because I do realize that all to quickly they will grow up. I don't want my memories of their preschool years to be me stressed because of demands others, or I, place on myself. I don't want to look back and wish I had slowed down a bit and just been there with my girls. I don't want to look back and only remember them sitting in their car seats as I gallivant around town running errands (which of course, must happen, often even...but not every wakeful moment they have). I want to remember having picnics, playing at the park, chasing, playing catch, eating crackers and drinking kool-aid at tea parties, stopping to smell flower (even if they are weeds), being silly and laughing. And, that's what I want them to remember too.

CVS....yep, I still go there

Last night, my friend Teri, picked me up at 8:30 and we went on a littler excursion. First, we drove to an undisclosed location and she went dumpster diving! hahaha. Sort of. She needed a couple large cardboard boxes for her son's birthday party this week. It's nice that businesses have to recycle because the dumpster she look (and got into) I believe just had paper goods. It felt rebellious though even for me to sit and watch in the truck! hahaha.

Then, we hit CVS. The deals weren't spectacular, but they weren't to bad either. I had 4 ecb and walked out with 0, but I paid very little for my paper towels. Let me explain.

Trans. 1

Irish Spring soap $4.99 with $4.99 ecb back

$.50 Coupon

Total $4.49 used $4 ecb, paid $.55 oop

Trans 2.

4 Glade Candles 4/$10

3 (small)boxes wheat things 5/$5

1 (small) box Ritz Crackers

2 $1.50 Glade Q

2 $2.00 buy 2 wheat thins or ritz crackers

Total $7

Used $5 ecb

Paid $2 (plus tax) for my order oop

Received 3 ecb

Trans 3.

Bounty paper towels sale $5.99

$1 off Q

Total was $4.99

Paid with 3 ecb

and $2.00 oop.

So, I paid just under $5 for all that stuff. Not to bad. I walked out with zero ecbs which really stinks, so...I'll have to cash it up next time, but I only paid 2 bucks for paper towels. Yay!

We went on a wagon ride yesterday. Hannah LOVES the wagon (although she doesn't look like it in this picture).

Some time with Grandma

My grandma and Aunt Susan are down visiting. We try to spend as much time with grandma as we can. Aunt Susan is also visiting with her dad and his wife, so we only see her when she's at my parents house. Here are some photos of grandma with the girls.














One last picture. If you've ever eaten with Hannah around, you know she is CRAZY about food. She pretty much yells all throughout dinner begging for more food. She shoves it in her mouth with little effort made to chew. She also loves snacks. Crackers, milk, water, fruit...whatever! If she sees you eating or hears a wrapper, she's on her way to find what you've got and beg you for some herself.





So, here is a funny picture from dinner last night. We had chicken, rice, carrots, and Hannah also got sweet potatoes. She didn't enjoy this one bit...nope...not at all!


Oh, just one more thing...a snippet of a conversation with Nicole last week.

Jeremy: What's wrong with Job?
Nicole: He's sad.
Jeremy: (turns the page). Look at Job here
Nicole: HAPPY JOB!!!!
Jeremy: Why is Job happy now?
Nicole: Because he's not sad anymore.
(duh daddy!)

The Zoo

Two Saturdays ago we took the girls to our little zoo for our friend's birthday party. It's a nice little zoo, but of course, we spent most of the time on the playground. We shot some cute pictures I wanted to share.

This picture is funny. Peyton was looking at the map and spent several minutes trying to decide where we were, and how to get to the "big bird" Amazingly, he did it! The kids were so cute watching Peyton and looking at the map. It was adorable.

Also, there was a fun toy on the playground I want to try to explain. There is a small bar that children hang on to, and then the bar glides across a straight track. OK, it looks dumb, but the kids had fun on it. Jeremy and Bryan pushed the kids back and forth on the track, and prepared to stop them at the end. Even Hannah got on. Here is a video with Nicole and Hannah (twice) hanging from this toy.

Nothing new

I feel like I need to post something to this blog, or else some of you may stop looking:-) I don't feel like I have much to talk about. Well...that's a lie I guess. There are some things. Here we go.

1 My grandma and Aunt Susan are down. This is my dad's mom and his sister. I had fun spending yesterday morning with them while my mom hung out with the girls. Hannah just adores Grandma. She loves to smile at her and gets very excited when grandma looks at her.

2. Speaking of Hannah, we had a bit of an accident this weekend. My hair flat iron fell (well, she pulled it down) and burned her little cheeck and upper lip. It's not to severe. I took her to the Dr. on Monday and she gets a burn cream put on it 3x a day. We went back to the Dr. today and it is soooo much better. I don't think she'll have scar!

3. Hannah has been a little sick lately, and I haven't felt 100% either. My throat hurts and my head is messed up. Could be allergies....right?

4. We made our garden bigger. 13' x 13'. We have corn, beans, peas, cucumbers, sweet peppers, radishes, zucchini, and a few types of lettuce. The radishes have already sprouted (they will be ready to pick in just a few weeks, which honestly, is the reason I planted them!)

5. I think that's all. Here's a cute picture of Yaya and the girls.

In Christ Alone

I first heard this song about a year ago. It has since captivated me. I LOVE it. It is one of the few contemporary songs that I will sing at the top of my lungs. The words are so true. It is one song that is difficult for me to sing without much emotion. It tells the story of Christ, why He came, why He died, why He rose, and why I Live. I have been thinking about the words and meditating on them for a while now and I wanted to share. I wanted to go through and italize the verses I liked the most, but the whole song would be that way! I put a video on here (I hope) so you can listen to it be sung. It's by Travis Cottrell.



In Christ Alone
by: Keith Getty & Stuart Townsend

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

A real blog post

I have been posting a lot of photos recently without much in the way of detail about your lives recently. Jeremy's sister, Tiffany, and her family (Chris...husband, Seth...2 year old, and Susannah....2 month old). We spent many evenings with them and enjoyed their company. Jeremy went to Cape Cod a few weeks ago for training on a very large job that God has provided for AVI. It's a blessing that they have work right now and we are thankful for His provision.

As for the girls and I, life has been pretty normal, trips to the park, making spaghetti with play doh, and water our plants in the garden. Until today....Hannah threw her first major heavy duty tantrum. Oh my word!!!! I made it happen though because just a few minutes before the tantrum, I was thinking how good Hannah has been because I have had to "discipline" her very little. At this point, Nicole was constantly getting her hands flicked for touching or trying to stick things into electrical outlets, knocking over decorations, and throwing food on the floors. Hannah on the other hand almost looks as though she will cry if I catch her crawling in the general direction of an outlet and I say, "Hannah...NO". So, I was getting all worked up in my head about how "good" she is and that she'll be so "easy". 10 minutes later she is throwing play-doh, hitting me, throwing her head back in a full body tantrum because I won't let her eat the play doh. I must have selective memory, because I do Not remember Nicole having a tantrum like this (although I'm certain she did). But, boy oh boy, did it catch me off guard. Actually, I think she was exhausted because she didn't get a good morning nap.

About that....Hannah will not stay in the nursery. Every once in a while, she makes it through, but more often than not, I am paged within 20 minutes to pick her up. She screams and cries the entire time. I'm not sure what to do. Nicole has never had a problem in the nursery. As early as her first weekend walking, she would walk right through the door and not look back. In fact, I felt a little sad and hurt because she would walk in so easily (haha). Hannah however Hates it. I feel so bad for the poor workers, and it is hard for me. So...what do I do??? Do I keep putting her in the nursery and picking her up a little while later, or should I hold her out for a few months and see if she grows out of this? Generally, she is only in the nursery for an hour at a time. Today was MOPS, so it would have been closer to 2 hours. Advice is needed.....(this is not knew, she has NEVER liked the nursery)

I haven't really said anything about Nicole. She has been really good (I hate to say that, will I have a terror on my hands when she wakes up because I was "bragging" about her?) She is very excited about her seeds that are growing. She just seems to be really happy and settled. She is growing up into such a little girl. There is NO baby left in her. She won't be 3 for 3 more months, and she's already growing out of 3T clothes and wearing (or should be wearing) 4T!! She is very tall for her age. She loves to carry around baby dolls and rock them. She also likes to play with her daddy and swing, of course. I am LOVING this age. Oh, she's just great.

Hannah is great too by the way. She is growing and learning knew things. She is now 10 months old and wearing 12 month clothes (although because of the cloth diapers, she still sometimes needs bigger pants). She easily stands, and is finally taking steps when holding on to someone. She falls a lot, which is often worrisome. She is a cuddle bug. She loves, loves, loves to snuggle against you. She gives hugs and kisses (sometimes on demand, sometimes not). She is saying "dada", "doggie", and "duckie". I think she says a lot more, it's just not understandable. I think that she thinks she is Nicole's age, because she is always trying to do the same thing Nicole does.

Pray for them still. Nicole is getting better at being loving and kind, but, whew, does that girl have a selfish streak in her (don't we all?). We are working hard on this. I thought that as Hannah got bigger and started getting into "Nicole's" toys, that Nicole would have a hard time with this. But, not so (at least so far). It seems that the older Hannah gets, the better Nicole gets with her. Maybe Nicole is like me and just not a "baby" person.

Well...there ya go. That's the fam for ya!

A poem

I was reading a blog written by a mother with 4 children under 4 who seems to be amazing. Her blogs are always fun and interesting reads. Anyway, she quoted a poem that I thought was really sweet. It was first published in the Ladies Home Journal in 1958. It's entitled "Song for a Fifth Child" and written by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton.

Enjoy.

Song for a Fifth Child.
Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past dueP
at-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Family and fun

Jeremy's sister and her family have been down visiting this week. We finally got to meet Susannah, their 2 month old baby.

Grammy and the girls.

HELP Hannah is being eaten by an alligator!!

Me holding baby Susannah.

Nicole and her cousin Seth going for a wagon ride

Awe...I LOVE to see these two playing together.

We also have sprouts growing from our seeds! A tomato plant sprouted Saturday I believe. Now we have 3 more tomato sprouts, 4 pea sprouts, and 2 green bean sprouts. It's pretty exciting! We have a composter now (thanks dad!) and we really want to make the garden bigger already. Oh boy....we have got the bug, well...hopefully not bugs...