Saturday, January 2, 2010
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Early Second Trimester Lull...
Here are the kids on a friends motorcycle or "mo-widle" as Jameson calls it... they totally dig it, of course..!
Been a while... a long while... lots to catch up on...first, we are expecting our 3rd baby come November... more updates later...here are my random thoughts for the day..
Does anyone else's mind wander around the 14th week? It is like a lull time in the pregnancy... I mean, the belly is growing but not showing much more than it was several weeks ago...I still look fat/pudgy rather than really pregnant. It has been a couple of weeks since my last appt and will be a couple more before the next one. No real movement yet. I am normally not all that nauseated now (although yesterday was the odd exception, blech!).
I get this lull feeling, and almost like, am I really pregnant? or worse my mind wanders to "what if something is really wrong in there and I just don't know it yet!"
I feel like i have the jitters of anticipation. Like I'm waiting for something big to happen, such as prom or my wedding.. but in reality I'm SO not ready for that and it's really a long way off!
It is so easy to get distracted and not really think about being pregnant with a talkative 4 year old and silly 2 year old wandering about.
At the end of the day I know God is in control of the whole thing, I don't have a moment by moment view of what is going on inside, but my Heavenly Father does...I'll trust Him, and be thankful for this lull....
off to change the laundry out!
_____
Does anyone else's mind wander around the 14th week? It is like a lull time in the pregnancy... I mean, the belly is growing but not showing much more than it was several weeks ago...I still look fat/pudgy rather than really pregnant. It has been a couple of weeks since my last appt and will be a couple more before the next one. No real movement yet. I am normally not all that nauseated now (although yesterday was the odd exception, blech!).
I get this lull feeling, and almost like, am I really pregnant? or worse my mind wanders to "what if something is really wrong in there and I just don't know it yet!"
I feel like i have the jitters of anticipation. Like I'm waiting for something big to happen, such as prom or my wedding.. but in reality I'm SO not ready for that and it's really a long way off!
It is so easy to get distracted and not really think about being pregnant with a talkative 4 year old and silly 2 year old wandering about.
At the end of the day I know God is in control of the whole thing, I don't have a moment by moment view of what is going on inside, but my Heavenly Father does...I'll trust Him, and be thankful for this lull....
off to change the laundry out!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Appreication...
Did you know that October is Pastor appreciation month? Well guess what it surely is... most pastors know this fact, but most won't say anything to anyone and just wait patiently for the sheep they are charged with to know this and then act on this knowledge...
I wanted to take a moment to show appreciation for the most influential pastor I've ever known.. this man is a true man of character, following Christ and leading his "sheep" after the good shepherd. He loves his flock, teaches, admonishes when needed, encourages, loves graciously, gives to them sacrificially on a very regular basis. He points them to Christ by his actions, being quick to forgive and never hesitant to ask for forgiveness...this man teaches his flock through words and example daily.
He is ever on watch for wolves that would sneak in, he is quick to defend and protect his sheep. His love for and devotion to his flock is apparent to all who know him.
James you pastor our home and we are so grateful of your faithfulness. We love you and appreciate you, the pastor of our home! Thank you for following Christ and leading us.
Love you!
I wanted to take a moment to show appreciation for the most influential pastor I've ever known.. this man is a true man of character, following Christ and leading his "sheep" after the good shepherd. He loves his flock, teaches, admonishes when needed, encourages, loves graciously, gives to them sacrificially on a very regular basis. He points them to Christ by his actions, being quick to forgive and never hesitant to ask for forgiveness...this man teaches his flock through words and example daily.
He is ever on watch for wolves that would sneak in, he is quick to defend and protect his sheep. His love for and devotion to his flock is apparent to all who know him.
James you pastor our home and we are so grateful of your faithfulness. We love you and appreciate you, the pastor of our home! Thank you for following Christ and leading us.
Love you!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
It all started...
The week after we found Jameson was a boy, James left for 2 weeks to Africa and Natalie and I laid in bed for nearly two weeks very sick with strep, and bronchitis. When we were finally better and James got home, I got a surge of energy and creativity. I stopped into the fabric store to find all the winter upholstery fabric on sale. I snagged several pieces I really liked in hopes of creating bedding for Jameson's baby room. That day I got some beautiful Sherpa fleece, in a brown tone that I just ADORED!
I used that color to paint two walls of his room in our old house, and then loved it so much that when I needed a color in my kitchen before it went on the market, I got the same color mixed at half the amount, to make it a little lighter. Oh and that kitchen project was a remodel job that I took on while James was out of town, he came home with all new kitchen walls (stripped wall paper, retextured entire kitchen, and painted)
Well, this past week James went to Washington DC and I went on a painting mission. We have a large dining area, and living room that are pretty connected... so I painted all of that area, what color, the same as that Sherpa fleece fabric in Jameson's baby bedding!
I had never really painted and did not know "how" until Jameson's room got painted. My dear friend came and did most of the painting while I sat and watched and while our children played...she taught me several tricks and so now I can paint a room, fairly well! I love being able to add color (the previous color was stark white, we have mostly white tile with brown grout, so it was very very stark in our house... it's so warm and cozy now!
Also while James was away our neighbor trimmed our palm tree for us...we've never had a palm tree in our yard and had no idea how to go about keeping it looking nice... so he did it for us... I made him some chocolate chip cookies tonight...the same friend that taught me to paint, gave me the best instructions on making cookies! they are truely yummy!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Natalie...
I'm pretty sure I could devote an entire novel to the conversations I've been having with my daughter lately... her imagination is blooming... She is a little shy about it, but still it's coming along. I don't feel I have much of one, so I try to encourage her small one as much as possible.
Lately she's been talking about her sister, "Abbasheper" (pronouced Abba shep er). She is typically doing whatever Natalie is doing at the moment and if we go out, she stays home with Nana.
The other day she started talking about working... she said she was going to work and I would take care of her babies and that if I wanted to work Nana could stay with her.
Not only work talk but death. She asks me if things can die...like her dolls, her books, the dog, the trees...she is not at all sad when talking about these things, it sort of throws me off..I'm not really certian where it has come from or why. I try to answer as matter of factly and briefly as possible, then attempt to change the conversation, thankfully three year olds are easily side tracked, I just ask her about her sister!
James has been gone this week, so I took the kids to Rubios for dinner... Oh their tropical wrap salad is amazing...mango, cranberries, grilled chicken, cabbage, almonds, mexican spices... all wrapped up in a green tortilla! And the kids quesadilla, is really great too...shhhh the kids don't know it comes with a Churro...James and I take turns distracting the kids while we split it!! they are none the wiser! Okay so we just sat down to eat, and took a few bites when Natalie excitedly said "oh no, we forgot to pray mommy" then proceeded to bring her mommy to tears with her prayer!!
"dear jesus, thank you for this food, my sweet mommy, and my brother, help daddy get to the hotel, and bring him home safely too us, in jesus name, amen" You see James had not been gone a full day yet, I had not prayed with her, or prompted any of this! She choose those words all on her own..
She is also a bit silly...she has been finishing sentences of mine with the phrase "in Jesus name Amen" totally at random... Me: Natalie buckle your straps (on your carseat) Nat: "In Jesus name amen" it's pretty funny to hear!
I don't typically give my children much juice at all. They are big water drinkers, and fruit eaters, so that equals lots of juice in my mind! So really it's a special treat... well, Natalie spotted some in the fridge and said "mommy can we have a party?" And party we did... Natalie, Jameson, and I...right away on the patio... we celebrated a beautiful day, even put tiny straws in our cups to sip with!
I'm sure this is typical with most all 3 year olds, but we have the exact same conversations every day... "mommy, is that a school or a park?"
"it's a school"
"why is it not a park?"
"because, it's a school"
"is it open"
"yes it looks to be open"
or
(a target near us got torn down and is being rebuilt...it's only like 3 blocks from our house, so this conversation we have almost every time we leave the house)
"is that the new Target or the old Target?"
"that's the new Target, baby"
"is it open"
"not yet"
"why not"
"because they are not ready for us to shop yet"
"why"
"they have to get it all ready on the inside for us"
"but there are cars there"
"yes they are working on it for us"
"did we shop at that target?"
"no baby, we have not been to that Target"
(typically by this time we are out of sight of the target, thankfully)
sometimes I mix it up, give her wrong answers, she corrects me, and then asks me why I said the wrong thing!
Lastly, today we went to the Wild Animal Park... they had a cute little show on Africa... they had a man dressed as a very very large Gorilla... it made Jameson cry at first, then as the show ended Natalie was down shaking a rainmaker wtih the other kids and the Gorilla came back out...she ran away screaming for me...she was fine, but it really upset her... so tonight our conversation went like this as I put her to bed.
"mommy, I don't want that drilla to come here"
"no baby, it won't come here"
"oh, cuz it don't have a car"
Lately she's been talking about her sister, "Abbasheper" (pronouced Abba shep er). She is typically doing whatever Natalie is doing at the moment and if we go out, she stays home with Nana.
The other day she started talking about working... she said she was going to work and I would take care of her babies and that if I wanted to work Nana could stay with her.
Not only work talk but death. She asks me if things can die...like her dolls, her books, the dog, the trees...she is not at all sad when talking about these things, it sort of throws me off..I'm not really certian where it has come from or why. I try to answer as matter of factly and briefly as possible, then attempt to change the conversation, thankfully three year olds are easily side tracked, I just ask her about her sister!
James has been gone this week, so I took the kids to Rubios for dinner... Oh their tropical wrap salad is amazing...mango, cranberries, grilled chicken, cabbage, almonds, mexican spices... all wrapped up in a green tortilla! And the kids quesadilla, is really great too...shhhh the kids don't know it comes with a Churro...James and I take turns distracting the kids while we split it!! they are none the wiser! Okay so we just sat down to eat, and took a few bites when Natalie excitedly said "oh no, we forgot to pray mommy" then proceeded to bring her mommy to tears with her prayer!!
"dear jesus, thank you for this food, my sweet mommy, and my brother, help daddy get to the hotel, and bring him home safely too us, in jesus name, amen" You see James had not been gone a full day yet, I had not prayed with her, or prompted any of this! She choose those words all on her own..
She is also a bit silly...she has been finishing sentences of mine with the phrase "in Jesus name Amen" totally at random... Me: Natalie buckle your straps (on your carseat) Nat: "In Jesus name amen" it's pretty funny to hear!
I don't typically give my children much juice at all. They are big water drinkers, and fruit eaters, so that equals lots of juice in my mind! So really it's a special treat... well, Natalie spotted some in the fridge and said "mommy can we have a party?" And party we did... Natalie, Jameson, and I...right away on the patio... we celebrated a beautiful day, even put tiny straws in our cups to sip with!
I'm sure this is typical with most all 3 year olds, but we have the exact same conversations every day... "mommy, is that a school or a park?"
"it's a school"
"why is it not a park?"
"because, it's a school"
"is it open"
"yes it looks to be open"
or
(a target near us got torn down and is being rebuilt...it's only like 3 blocks from our house, so this conversation we have almost every time we leave the house)
"is that the new Target or the old Target?"
"that's the new Target, baby"
"is it open"
"not yet"
"why not"
"because they are not ready for us to shop yet"
"why"
"they have to get it all ready on the inside for us"
"but there are cars there"
"yes they are working on it for us"
"did we shop at that target?"
"no baby, we have not been to that Target"
(typically by this time we are out of sight of the target, thankfully)
sometimes I mix it up, give her wrong answers, she corrects me, and then asks me why I said the wrong thing!
Lastly, today we went to the Wild Animal Park... they had a cute little show on Africa... they had a man dressed as a very very large Gorilla... it made Jameson cry at first, then as the show ended Natalie was down shaking a rainmaker wtih the other kids and the Gorilla came back out...she ran away screaming for me...she was fine, but it really upset her... so tonight our conversation went like this as I put her to bed.
"mommy, I don't want that drilla to come here"
"no baby, it won't come here"
"oh, cuz it don't have a car"
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Ring Sling, Baby Wearing, and working from home!
Just wanted to give a little plug for my very dear friend... She is a stay home mom of 3 small boys. Her oldest was not even 3 when number 3 came along! Yeah she is a very busy woman! She has some great sewing skills and is putting them to work to help her family. She makes really beautiful ring slings and some really practical ones too!
As a gift to me she made me this beautiful silk sling. Silk slings are not cheap, as silk is NOT cheap! But when comparing prices her prices are by far more affordable than the others on the internet. Here is a picture of Jameson in my sling featuring the "hip carry" position.
She also has water friendly slings. So you can carry your baby on you while you go into the pool. As a mom of 3 small boys she is able to have two hands free while still tending to the littlest one! She makes the in two different materials. One is a mesh, sports like material. I have this one...it is a great sturdy fabric that does not hold water so by the time we are all dried off ready to go from a day at the beach, the sling is too! She also has a new water sling material... it's made of solarweave, that has a UV rating so your small baby won't get burned while they are still too small to use sun screen on! BRILLIANT!
When my silk sling arrived in the mail, Natalie was so intrigued by it, she absolutely loved it, I even got her to get in it (it holds up to 40lbs) obviously most people won't be carrying around a 3 year old that much, they get heavy quickly and can walk! But we played with her in it for a while...of course she loved it. Natalie said "mommy maybe Miss Nikki can make one for my babies" So what did miss Nikki do...she made one for Natalie's babies! (she spoils us!) So she now makes "doll slings" so your little one can wear their babies too! And Natalie does too! We went to the wild animal park a few weeks back and Natalie had her baby in the sling, and was bouncing and shushing it! Here is a picture of the day we got Natalie's sling!
When we go to the zoo, I take the stroller, but also throw in the sling... Jameson grows weary of riding in the stroller and I would quickly tire of carrying him or letting him walk... so I pull out the sling and pop him in it... he really loves being close!
So if you are interested in slings check out Wrapped in Love and see some of Nikki's awesome slings.
As a gift to me she made me this beautiful silk sling. Silk slings are not cheap, as silk is NOT cheap! But when comparing prices her prices are by far more affordable than the others on the internet. Here is a picture of Jameson in my sling featuring the "hip carry" position.
She also has water friendly slings. So you can carry your baby on you while you go into the pool. As a mom of 3 small boys she is able to have two hands free while still tending to the littlest one! She makes the in two different materials. One is a mesh, sports like material. I have this one...it is a great sturdy fabric that does not hold water so by the time we are all dried off ready to go from a day at the beach, the sling is too! She also has a new water sling material... it's made of solarweave, that has a UV rating so your small baby won't get burned while they are still too small to use sun screen on! BRILLIANT!
When my silk sling arrived in the mail, Natalie was so intrigued by it, she absolutely loved it, I even got her to get in it (it holds up to 40lbs) obviously most people won't be carrying around a 3 year old that much, they get heavy quickly and can walk! But we played with her in it for a while...of course she loved it. Natalie said "mommy maybe Miss Nikki can make one for my babies" So what did miss Nikki do...she made one for Natalie's babies! (she spoils us!) So she now makes "doll slings" so your little one can wear their babies too! And Natalie does too! We went to the wild animal park a few weeks back and Natalie had her baby in the sling, and was bouncing and shushing it! Here is a picture of the day we got Natalie's sling!
When we go to the zoo, I take the stroller, but also throw in the sling... Jameson grows weary of riding in the stroller and I would quickly tire of carrying him or letting him walk... so I pull out the sling and pop him in it... he really loves being close!
So if you are interested in slings check out Wrapped in Love and see some of Nikki's awesome slings.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
We are not islands in this family!!!
This morning Natalie very graciously and sweetly declined the eggs I made for breakfast. She said she'd like to have them "later" I informed her that she is to eat when it is time and the rest of the family is eating and that "later" would be at lunch time, no snacks, no food and nothing until it was time for lunch. She again, graciously said "no thank you" to the eggs, even asked if she could get a baggy to put them in. One last time I offered her the eggs, telling her she would be hungry, and once again, she very sweetly declined my plea to get her to eat.
Well, we were in the grocery store at 930am and she was melting down for lack of food. (she did have a small glass of Kefir--her "coffee" she drinks every AM when she wakes up), We made it home and by this time she was really very hungry and begging to eat. I have to be a mommy of my word and she has to learn this life lesson the hard way...when it's time to eat, it's time to eat. I cannot and do not run an all day buffet.
So to my point... Jameson and I are enduring her horrible behavior, tantrums and general bad mood because she refused her breakfast. Thankfully, she has pulled herself together, I set a timer for lunch and we are waiting for it to go off, she has distracted herself with playing dress up.
It's amazing how God has woven us together as a "family unit" our decisions, good or bad have an effect on everyone else....it's so true and this little life lesson that Natalie is learning today is hard on all of us, but one she must learn. Too bad Jameson is still small and probably has no clue what is really going on to learn by watching his sister, that would be nice....but alas I'm sure we'll travel this same road with him soon enough!
Well, the timer is about to go off... I'm gonna make lunch and then make some chocolate chip cookies, we have dinner with friends planned for tonight, I've been looking for an excuse to make some!
Well, we were in the grocery store at 930am and she was melting down for lack of food. (she did have a small glass of Kefir--her "coffee" she drinks every AM when she wakes up), We made it home and by this time she was really very hungry and begging to eat. I have to be a mommy of my word and she has to learn this life lesson the hard way...when it's time to eat, it's time to eat. I cannot and do not run an all day buffet.
So to my point... Jameson and I are enduring her horrible behavior, tantrums and general bad mood because she refused her breakfast. Thankfully, she has pulled herself together, I set a timer for lunch and we are waiting for it to go off, she has distracted herself with playing dress up.
It's amazing how God has woven us together as a "family unit" our decisions, good or bad have an effect on everyone else....it's so true and this little life lesson that Natalie is learning today is hard on all of us, but one she must learn. Too bad Jameson is still small and probably has no clue what is really going on to learn by watching his sister, that would be nice....but alas I'm sure we'll travel this same road with him soon enough!
Well, the timer is about to go off... I'm gonna make lunch and then make some chocolate chip cookies, we have dinner with friends planned for tonight, I've been looking for an excuse to make some!
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