Locked out

Last night we were at our friends, Ben & Jami's house, to celebrate Ben's birthday. Our lives have closely paralleled each other, which has been neat, fun and encouraging. I'm pretty sure I was one of the first people to meet Ben when he moved here...and I'm pretty sure he thought my friend Abby and I were completely ditzy girls. Well...it ends up we became friends, then he started working with Jeremy (just before we started dating) and so him and Jeremy became good friends. About the same time Jeremy and I started dating, Ben met Jami. I think they had their first "official" date a week before Jeremy and I did. They got engaged much earlier, but we got married first (a month before them). Nicole was born 6 weeks before their daughter Kristina, and Hannah was born about 3 months after their second, Vanessa. Jami just gave birth to their third child about 4 weeks ago...a boy! So, our sons will be about 3 months apart.

Jami and I have become good friends over the years. It's been fun to have another couple walk a similar path as you. They are sweet friends and we love them.

Well...anyway....we were at their house last night, with a bunch of other people having pizza and cake. Ben, Jeremy and I were hanging out in one of the daughter's rooms watching the kids play. Nicole had left the room several minutes earlier, but we all just assumed she was out in the living room playing with other children or toys. I did hear her squeal every once in a while, so I thought she was just playing somewhere.

Several minutes later, John...Ben's brother, walks in the bedroom with a hysterically crying, very upset little 3 year old. Come to find out, Nicole is such a big girl that she went potty all by herself and locked herself in the bathroom. The poor little thing was terrified, she was shaking and crying so hard. It was so sad that it was funny, if that makes any sense. Obviously she was all right, she just didn't know how to turn the lock back the other way (in our house, our locks are push buttons, so you just turn the handle). So...the little squeals I heard were actually the beginning of her crying for help. there were just so many people there and it was so loud that we couldn't hear her.

I'm pretty sure for now on, she'll at least let me know she's going potty when we are at someone else's house, even if she doesn't need help. hehehe

My funny little girls

Hannah has discovered a much more fun and messy way of eating. Rather than using utensils of any kind or just scooping with her hands, she figures she'll "take out the middle man" and just lick everything straight out of the bowl or off the plate. Here is a demonstrations this morning with her oatmeal.





It's quite a mess...but also quite adorable! Last night at Jeremy's softball game, I gave the girls some crackers as snacks. Near the end of the game, Hannah was taking the crackers and neatly laying them out on the ground. I figured she wasn't hungry anymore and just wanted to play. After about 10 crackers were neatly laid on the ground, she layed down in front of them and proceeded to lick them off the ground! (Of course I quickly stopped her...but I think she may have gotten one cracker). Once again, quite a mess....quite gross...but also quite adorable:-)


This morning as I was taking pictures of Hannah licking her bowl clean, Nicole asked me to take a picture of her playing in her "home".

Funny story....the other night I was at a meeting at church and Jeremy was home with the girls. He and Nicole were playing hide seek. He was hiding when the phone rang. He decided rather than give up his great hiding place, he would just let it ring and whoever it was could leave a message. Nicole had other plans. Here is the phone call Jeremy heard...

Nicole: Hello....No, no, no.....my my my mommy isn't home, she's shopping.
(lays the phone down) Daddy, ready or not, here I come!

So...if you have a solicitor who is bugging you every evening, invite Nicole over, she'll take care of them for you:-)

Baby Update

As I'm sure you've noticed, I added a pregnancy ticker to my blog a few weeks ago. I'm a few days over 27 weeks preggo. I am borderline in the third trimester...woohoo!!! This little guy is ACTIVE! He kicks and turns and moves constantly....especially when I'm laying down. I have a feeling he'll come out running and won't stop till he's out of the house, haha. He still doesn't have a name yet. We have a few in the running, but nothing we are set on yet. I'll let you know when we decide:-)

I am feeling really good...for the most part. I'm having back pains and spasms on a regular basis now, which happened with my other pregnancies. It's mostly just annoying when I try to stand up and can't for a moment, or occasionally loose my balance when I'm walking (which honestly, I loose my balance when I'm NOT pregnant, now I just have a good excuse:-) Other than my back, I forget I'm pregnant unless someone asks me how I'm feeling, or I walk by a mirror:-)

I am Thrilled because my midwife just called me and told me I passed my glucose test. It's always been the most stressful pregnancy test for me, but so far so good...no gestational diabetes. However, my iron levels are very low again, so I will start a big iron supplement schedule and try to eat more spinach and red meat. I had a problem with my iron when I was pregnant with Hannah, only I didn't find out until I was 37 weeks and almost lost my privileges with my midwife, which scared me to death! So...this time I know earlier, and hopefully I can help raise my levels over the next 12 weeks or so.

Wow....12 weeks does NOT seem like very long! I better get shopping:-)


(This picture is NOT our baby...just a picture I found on the Internet of a baby at 28 weeks...it represents what he looks like. Amazing, huh?)

OK....what's little guy up to right now? Courtesy of Pregnancy.org, here are some of the things he'll be doing this week.

• Eyebrows and eyelashes are now very noticeable!
• Hair on baby's head is growing longer. Some babies are born with almost none at all, while others appear to be ready for their first haircut!
• Eyes are completely formed now. Quite a view from inside!
• Your baby's body is getting plump and rounded. Most of that increase is muscle tissue and bone. Fat will be added during the third trimester.
• Muscle tone is improving. Preparation for the Olympics feels like it is taking place in your womb!
• Lungs are capable of breathing now (but baby would still struggle and require medical attention if born now)
• Your baby weighs in now at 2.2 pounds (1005gm) and is 14.8 inches (37.6cm).

OK...I'm a little disappointed he's only 2 pounds right now, oye!

Dance Dynamics

Yesterday, Nicole started her dance class. She was Adorable...and had a blast...and she totally participated!!!

Look how cute she is!!!







Here is Nicole will Miss Anna. We know Anna from the college ministry. She is a sweet friend who loves kids and is just great with Nicole's age.


I'm excited for Nicole to have a fun activity to look forward to every week. It's so sweet:-)

Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato, Sweet Potato...I love you!

So, considering all we did was plant two sweet potatoes and water when we remembered, our sweet potato harvest came out all right. We have lots of small potatoes, and a couple of big ones.



What do I do to make them last a while?

Now we are preparing our soil for our major planting coming up this month, next and October. It's time to bring it on:-)

New - Old Dress

Our Internet was down yesterday, which was a bummer because I really wanted to post a picture of the pretty dress Nicole had on Yesterday.



I have been looking forward to Nicole wearing it, because it was my dress as a little
girl. Only, Nicole is barely 3, and I was close to 5 (if not 5 already) in this picture, haha.



There is some discrepancy over the origin of this dress. I always thought, and my mom agrees with me, that she (my mom) made this dress for me. But, my dad said yesterday that it was my mom's mom (Mama Pat) who made it. So...Mama Pat....do you remember? Can you clear this up? Either way, it was a special dress because it was handmade, by someone, with love:-)

Nicole LOVED the dress and told everyone she saw yesterday that it was her mommy's dress, but now it's not anymore, now it's hers:-)

The deal of the year I do believe

My crazy friend Teri found a HUGE money maker tip last week about a sale at Winn-Dixie this week. So, she planned ahead, and let me in on it as well. She found this deal over at Thrifty Florida Mama

Here's the deal. Glade Plug -ins were Buy One Get One Free (BOGO). There is a BOGO free coupon. This works out to two free Glade Plug-ins. Then, Winn-Dixie added that they would print off a $1.00 coupon from their catalina machine for each plug in. This $1 coupon can be used at any grocery store on your next purchase because it's a "manufacturer coupon". So...here's what I did.

I bought 20 BOGO coupons from Teri (who ordered a crazy amount last week). I was able to purchase 40 Glad plug-ins (BOGO sale and BOGO Q) and pay only tax $.06/each. Then, each plug in gave me $1.00 back. So...I should have bought 40 plug ins for $2.40 and received $40 in catalina coupons. But...the deal gets sweeter.

I found out last night at our Clipper Chicks meeting, that my friend Sky (who also did this deal with Teri) purchased, sort of on a whim, 2 Juicy Juice Immunity boxes because they were on sale and she had coupons. Low and behold...the catalina printed MORE Juicy Juice coupons AND a $1.00 catalina for each juice she bought.

So...using the above knowledge and a coupon for a free package of diapers and a free package of wipes...here's what I bought....



40 Glade Plug-ins (first come first serve...who wants them? I don't, haha)
12 boxes of Juicy Juice Immunity and Brain Booster
1 34 ct. pck of diapers
1 64 ct. pck of wipes.

I did 6 transactions and spent $7.40 and received 36 Catalina $1 coupons back.
Now, my total out of pocket was way to high. I should have only spent $3.40...but I wasn't paying attention at first and paid for my first few transactions with my own cash intead of handing over some of my $1 catalinas. So...that stinks...I wasted $4.00

Oh well.

Here's what my purchase should have cost me
Glad plug ins $79.60
Juicy Juice $35.88
Diapers $7.99
Wipes $3.59
Grand Total (without sales/coupons) $206.66

Total Savings $199.26
PLUS $36 in Coupons to use at any grocery store (here I come Publix!)

Honestly though, I don't care about the plug ins. BUT...the Juicy Juice and diapers/wipes is an amazing deal. I'm happy to have paid $7.40 out of pocket for all that juice, diapers AND wipes.

Thanks Teri on the heads up of the amazing deal.

And Tiffy...I know your going to make fun of having all this glade stuff. Ask Chris if he wants me to bring you half of them *wink* *wink* haha.

Lakes Park Family Day

We had a fantastically fun day Sunday at a place we've never been. Jeremy has been working a lot on Captiva this year, and daily passed Lakes Park. We looked it up online and found that it looked like a lot of fun. We finally made it up there, because it is a bit of a drive, but it was well worth it. There were several play grounds, two water pad play areas, bike trails, and even train rides (although I don't think those were running today). We spent several hours this morning and this afternoon playing together. It was a great chance for our family to relax and have a good time together. Enjoy the pictures.


Hannah doing the rock wall


Daddy and the girls on one of the playgrounds


Nicole falling from some sort of dangling sliding toy. She was not hurt from the fall, it wasn't to far, but made for a funny picture. I think if you click on it, it'll be bigger and you can see her face better.


Like father - like daughter. If Jeremy were three...I'm pretty sure he would have spent most of his time on the splash pad in the same place Nicole did...under the mini water fall.


Hannah playing in the water....we have a ton of water pictures...I just had to pic a couple. These girls love the water!

After water play, we rented a surrey...I think that's what it's called. It was a family bicycle (although Jeremy did most of the work). We spent an hour riding around the trails, stopping once for pizza and ice cream. Both girls really enjoyed it. My belly was in the way a bit so I couldn't help him peddle much...that's my excuse anyway. It looks dorky...but is was really a lot of fun. We laughed much of the way.

Someone had to take the picture, so I'm missing, but my seat was behind Nicole.

Hannah fell asleep on the last half of the ride. Hopefully I can move the video so it appears below...if not, it'll be at the end of the post. It's quite funny.


After we came home to relax, we headed back out and went to the pool for a little while before dinner. The girls got new bathing suites we tried out, with padding in them to help them float. It worked well for Nicole, but not so much for Hannah. It's ok though...she was pretty darn cute.

Ah...I couldn't move the video. You'll have to watch dear little Hannah being lulled to sleep by the bumpy trails



So...that was our very fun family day. I'm thankful we had such a great day before the week kicks into gear again.

Girl's Night

Last night was our much anticipated "Girl's Night". This started a few months ago when Jeremy had to go out of town. I remember my mom always doing something special when my dad was out of town so we had something to look forward to that was out of the ordinary. I wanted to do something like that with Nicole (and Hannah one day...and even baby boy). So...Nicole and I started "Girls Night".

Here is our series of events....
Hannah goes to bed a bit earlier than normal (next year, she can participate)
We watch....

Mary Poppins



One of our favorite scenes. We both like the chimney sweep scene, the chalk drawing scene, and the laughing room.

While watching Mary Poppins, we do the following...


First Nicole paints her own toenails



Then she paints her fingernails


Then she paints MY toe nails and fingernails. She was very tired and very into the movie last night, so she only painted 3 of my toenails, I had to finish them off.


Then, we eat our popcorn and cookies


A lovely picture of the two of us.


She was pretty sleepy last night, so we just laid and watched the movie for most of the time. She was determined to make it through. And She did!


Before going to bed, she found a pair of panty hose. Since I almost never wear such things, she didn't know what they were. She thought she'd try them on for size.


We ended the night by reading some of the Bible together and falling asleep in bed. I enjoyed every moment of it. It was fun to listen to her get excited all day in anticipating of our "Girls Night". I hope this is always a special tradition when daddy is gone.

Discretion

Do you ever do something and later see the error in it? I just did

I like to blog for several reasons.

1. There are some grandparents and relatives who check regularly and they get to see a glimpse of our lives even though they are far away. If not for this blog, they would know very little about Nicole and Hannah, and whatever else I choose to share. So, primarily, I blog for them.

2. I also blog to keep a record of our family: events, stories, pictures, special occasions, every day fun, etc.

3. I like to blog for my friends who also read it. Sometimes I share more personal struggles because I think it helps them see that when they have a bad day, they aren't the only ones. I am encouraged when I see that others I look up to and respect also struggle with disciple or eating or whatever. It helps me to continue to persevere when I read their stories...sometimes in the heat of the moment, and others in retrospect.

4. Sometimes however, I use this blog as a outlet for myself...this is where I go wrong. I get frustrated with people who always act like their life is perfect with no problems, worries or issues, because I'm pretty sure NO ONE'S life is like that. As much as we try to put our full hope, trust and reliance in the Lord, we are still human and struggle through our days. Sometimes I share more of the story than is needed.

This is where I went wrong the other day. I could have shared a perfectly nice time at Rookery Bay with my girls and no one would have known any more than that. Yet...I chose to share about my difficulties with Nicole and Hannah in the past few days and I fear I shared to much. I have received numerous e-mails and phone calls, some just wanting to encourage me, others wanting to offer me advice, and I'm sure there are a few of you who shook their head in shame at me for not being able to "handle" two and here I am having a third soon. No one seemed to remember the cute pictures or good times we had that day. I thought I was writing a bit tongue and cheek and a bit real to show that life is not always perfect. I hoped to also be somewhat of an encouragement to a friend who may have had a rough week too...but this was not the case.

What I regret the most however, is that I shared to much about Nicole's rebellion in a way that, if she were older, may bring her shame. If you ask my mom, I'm pretty sure she would tell you that I have never once gone to her and poured out any anger or frustration I may have had with Jeremy (ok...honestly, I'm very rarely ever frustrated with him...he's simply the BEST!). But, from the day we got married, I made it a point to never defame his name to my parents, my friends or others. I want to always say uplifting and encouraging words about him to others.

However, I have not had this philosophy with my children, and quite honestly, I think this is shameful. Especially when I share specifics on the Internet, on a blog that really anyone could find if they wanted. My greatest regret about yesterday's post is not that some people think I'm either incapable of raising my kids or that they pity me or that they think I'm foolish, because none is true....but that I defamed Nicole's name and gave specific information in public about her rebellious heart.

We are all sinners. We all have rebellious hearts. One of the most difficult things about being a parent is seeing that rebellion so early in our small children, and then going after that with the Word of God. Often times as parents we try to make our kids "act right" but deal not with their rebellious hearts and nature...it's far more difficult to do that. It's much easier to each them to behave than it is to help them see the sin that causes that bad behavior. However, Jeremy and I have set out not to have "good kids" because that's how they are "suppose to be". But, to help them see their sin and their great need for a Savior, Jesus Christ. Without the hope of the cross in our discipline, there is no hope at all. But, this is so hard to teach and so hard to learn. I have grown more spiritually since becoming a mother than at any other time in my life because my own sin nature quickly comes out in the forms of anger, greed, selfishness, and pride.

I see that I have gone off and talked about something a bit far from the origin of my topic. My point is this...I am going to try to not use this blog to publicly defame anyone in my family. I will continue to share funny stories, sad stories, pictures and outings. But, I will try to show more discretion in my posts because, just as I don't want to ever speak negatively of Jeremy to anyone, I also do not want to speak negatively of my children either. There may be private conversations when I'm seeking advice or encouragement that I may share, but I will not do it on the blog again, Lord Willing.

Nicole, one day when you look at these blogs, know that I ask for your forgiveness and I'm thankful God gave you to me as my very special and sweet daughter.

I am turning off comments to this post. If you have something to say, then you can e-mail me on this one. If not, that's fine...I just wanted to get this off my chest and move on.

Stay tuned tomorrow for pictures of our "Girl's Night". The greatly anticipated event all day today.