Soccer!

For the last several weeks, we've enjoyed watching Mallory play stand on the soccer fields in her first-ever team sport adventure. We have her in a 3-5 year-old league through the city and for $20, she gets to play soccer twice a week for about 10 weeks. We have mainly 3 year-olds on our team and Mallory is definitely the littlest one out there. Some of the kids are really good, even at this young age, and some are VERY uninterested. Mallory falls to the latter end of the spectrum, though she at least stands on the field. Whether she chases the ball is another story.

It's been a lot of fun to head out there and watch her on the fields. Though she gets distracted VERY easily, she will sometimes run with the crowd after a ball and at one point, she actually dribbled it for a few feet before the other team stole the ball from her. You would have though she scored a goal the way I reacted!!! We're very proud of her stepping out of her comfort zone of letters and numbers and trying her hand...er, feet I should say...on the soccer fields. Her season lasts through the end of October, but I think we *may* have to stop a little early due to her little brother's arrival, which is expected about that time. :-)

Remembering Grandma...

It's hard to believe it's been a year since my grandma died. My mom is en route to FL to visit my grandpa today, who is recovering from having surgery a week ago to remove colon cancer. Grandpa's been a fighter and I'm glad this cancer was caught early enough to be removed. I know he'll enjoy seeing mom, especially today.

Last year's trip down to FL was such a whirlwind for me...and Ethan...and I'm so glad I was able to go. I have bitter sweet memories...I wish I could have seen her one more time, but I'm glad I was able to be at the funeral, surrounded by my family.

Recap here, here, here, and here.

Labor on Labor Day

I know, I know...silly pun, but I didn't come up with it. Here is a meme that I thought would be fun to do...in anticipation of my upcoming L&D.

How long were your labors?
Kid #1 - 13 hours
Kid #2 - 6 hours

How did you know you were in labor?
Kid #1 - contractions
Kid #2 - my water broke


Where did you deliver?
Kid #1 - Presbyterian Hospital (the Taj Mahal of hospitals) in Charlotte, NC
Kid #2 - Johnson City Medical Center in Johnson City, TN

Drugs?
Kid #1 - Not during labor
Kid #2 - Not during labor

No epi for me...I'm actually scared of them. I'm afraid that I'll be one of the moms that has something wrong with the epi and cause long-term damage. Labor hurts like, well...hurts like hell, but there is an end to the torture. I did have some nice narco as my tearing was being repaired...for both children. I'm hoping for no tearing and, therefore, no drugs at all during this next labor. The nurse at the Med center (for E's birth) loved that I had a "natural" labor, since she said that 98% of the births were "assisted" by drugs. I'm glad that SOMEONE "loved" my labor...

C-section?
Nope. And I hope I don't ever experience one.

Who delivered?
Doctors both times. I was disappointed with my Dr. in Charlotte. No referrals to that practice. My Dr. here in JC is AWESOME!!! I'm one of his "private patients", which means that he'll deliver my baby no matter if he's on call or not. He was a resident at E's delivery and now is an "official" OB/GYN. He's the best Dr. a girl could ask for. Seriously. Love him. Would recommend him to anyone. I loved that he had the audacity to joke with me while I was in labor - he lightened up the mood pretty well. He's so laid back yet encouraging. He's my fave.

Some preschool stuff.

I've really enjoyed doing some preschool work with the kids. It's really not that hard; it just takes a little forthought and planning. My plan is to do preschool 3 days a week and the other 2 are meant for errands, storytime (at library...or Barnes and Noble if the library doesn't start up soon!), and dr appts. So far, we've had 2 days and the kids really liked having my undivided attention, more than anything, I think.

I've broken our "schooling" into 3, 20-30 minute timeframes. The first is a lesson/book time, where we'll talk about things that we're learning and read stories to reiterate my point. Next is a video (30 minutes) and then we do a project that incorporates math, phonics that supports what we've learned. If I can, I'll add some FMS (fine motor skills) activities in the project to help Mallory, who I think has weak FMS. She's already greatly improved in cutting in the two days we've worked on it! The last 30 minutes will be a craft/activity that is more fun than anything...and doesn't require my assistance, like coloring, stickers, puzzles, additional FMS work, etc. The first day, our project lasted an hour, but the kids sat there and were GREAT! I was very impressed!

The first day, we read Col. 3:20 (one of our Sept theme verses), talked about who their parents are (mommy/daddy, mother/father, full names, etc) and that God called parents to be an authority over them. We read books about mommies and daddies. Our project included cutting, gluing, counting, color sorting, and reading. They also matched activities that mommy/daddy do to the appropriate role (Daddy - office, tractor, plays, bible, etc; Mommy - cooks, laundry, play, pray, etc). The second day, we read Col 3:20 again, talked about who children were (Mallory/Ethan, son/daughter, child/children, brother/sister) and that God called children to obey mommy and daddy in order to please Jesus. We read books about children and brothers/sisters. Our project was similar to day #1, but included matching roles to the appropriate child (Mallory - girl, sister, daughter, child, obey; Ethan - boy, brother, son, child, obey). Their projects are on our pantry door (for now) and they both look at them often and talk about what they've learned.

We're also reading out loud at the breakfast table each morning. After I read, I ask them what they hear (without prompting them to the WHAT) and it's so cool for me to hear what they glean. I'm reading each book/reading at least 2 days in a row. So far, we've read "The Little Engine that Could" and the Westminster Shorter Catechism for Children (Questions 1-20).

Anyway, that's a brief summary. We take Wed and Thurs off and start again on Fri. We'll be learning about the baby in mommy's belly, looking at ultrasound pics, and creating finger-paint art to hang in his room. Should be fun!

Pics:

1 day. 32 weeks. 6 years.

1 day
I'm embarking on a new journey tomorrow - formalized preschool for the kids, but not in the sense you may think. We're not "going" anywhere for preschool, except to the kitchen table, or maybe the basement, or maybe outside. We're having preschool here. I've spent hours over the last month researching, planning, and preparing lesson plans for me to follow for teaching the kids specific things on "themes" we'll be covering each month. I've learned a lot in my research and am very excited about seeing my kids minds open up to new concepts in our lessons. I'm starting off easy with our September theme being Family and Home. We'll be learning new songs and scriptures, doing crafts, and some phonics/mathematics they won't even realize they're learning. I'm also going to start doing some reading during breakfast to hone in on their listening skills - stories that will hopefully spawn curiosity in their minds and teach them to listen. I will share more as we progress. But as of now, all my Sept documentation is printing and I'll be adding the sheets to my notebook.

32 weeks
I'm 8 months pregnant today. Wow. I have a Dr appointment on Wednesday to check this little guy's heartbeat and measure my ever-growing belly. I have a long list of pregnancy woes, but all in all, I'm having a healthy pregnancy. I'm hungry all the time and I keep reminding myself that it's OK to watch the scale go up...

6 years
Today is the anniversary of my marriage to Patrick. I can't tell you how significant this anniversary is to us. We've learned so much in the last few months about our marriage, our faults, our failures, and our out-right sinful hearts that put the brakes on the happiness of "ever after" earlier this year. A marriage is so fragile without the commitment to love. And we've learned a lot about love this year. Love is learned. It doesn't come naturally and needs to be matured over time. We have learned how to love one another as God has called, not how we think we should love. And we're learning. And it is becoming beautiful.

Our marriage was a pile of fragments earlier this year and we didn't know how it was ever going to be put back together. If I have the courage, I'll write more about how fragmented we were and how close we came to turning away from the mess. But God has grace. And He has led us up to this Happy 6th Anniversary.

May God be praised for these.

Seriously!?!?!

Am I seriously almost 32 weeks along with this -my third - pregnancy? I'm astounded. I just can't believe that I'm:
1. Pregnant again
2. Almost done being pregnant this time
3. About to experience the hardest, most excrutiating physical act known to man (giving birth, people)
4. Going to sacrifice every part of my body to meet the very-different-needs of 3 very different children

And it's all a blessing. It really is. It's just taken me a while to see it all as a blessing.

No, I still have not taken any "belly" pictures. I have a hard time with that. Why would I want to take a picture of myself looking like a whale? I will though...eventually. And no, we still haven't chosen his name.

Here is a picture of me pregnant with Ethan at 31.5 weeks (which is where I'm at now...). You get the idea of what I look like...just with slightly shorter hair.

Summer Fun - Part 4

My kids have grown to LOVE water parks. Love them. We've gone to Wetlands three times this summer, once with Daddy, once with Aunt Amanda, and once with Kara and her crew. Mallory and Ethan are both doing really well in the water. They both run around without floaties and are doing a good job of keeping their head above water. They're figuring out to 1. Keep their mouths shut under water and 2. Blow bubbles when their heads go under water. They both still need lots of monitoring, but I love watching them love water.

Being a native Floridian, I was around water A LOT growing up. I hope the kids will get the chance to spend lots of time at pools and lakes. Maybe one day we'll get closer to the ocean, but for now, waterparks and such will suffice.

Summer Fun - Part 3

Back in July, we were having unseasonably cool temps, most days barely getting out of the 70's and sometimes hitting low 80s. We've only had a couple of days that have reached 90, but other than that, it's been a very mild summer (great for a greatly pregnant woman, I must add).

In the middle of July, we went to a Battel backyard bash in honor of Fisher's birthday. Kara usually goes all out with her parties and, as expected, was a blast. The only thing was that she had a water bounce house (just like last year), but it was like 72 degrees out and dropping. All the kids were pretty cold, but had fun none-the-less. We had to get them into long-sleeves after their lips turned blue and teeth started chattering, but it was all worth it. Ethan tasted Capri-Sun and Doritoes for the first time and scarfed them up (like he does most other things). Fisher had a great time, got lots of loot, and even shared his new trucks with E. I'm glad E has a good buddy like Fisher.

Anyway, here are a few pics of the b-day bash! (see more here)

My Goodness!

I have had a bear of a time with our computer(s) lately. The "new" computer I got back in April fried up on me last week while at my parents. I'm not positive why, but I have some theories. We were still able to exchange it (rather than fix it since it was brand-new), so we upgraded a little and got another one. Well, it's taken me FOREVER to get this sucker ready with updates, antivirus and downloads. We still have lots to do, but at least I can get on the Internet.

Anyway, if I'm offline more than usual, it's because I'm trying to get my computer straight as well as chase after my 2 kids and am an exhausted pregnant lady. Anyway, I just wanted to check in with my blog-followers...

Summer Fun - Part 2

Our kids like the water. Ever since we took them to a waterpark earlier this year (I haven't posted on that...but I will eventually), they both talk a lot about going to waterparks. Mallory will play in her toy car, telling me she's taking Doggie bye-bye to the waterpark. She loves it.
Since it's 20 minutes or so away and is only open until 6, it's hard to get there by the heat of the day during after-nap timeframe. We've known that we live VERY close to a lake beach, but it's one of those places that's not the best place to take the kids by myself, so we really only go if I have someone with me. Well, a few weeks ago, we were trying to figure out what to do with the kids when we remembered Boone Lake. We ate an early dinner, packed up the kids and drove the 5 minutes to the Lake. The kids LOVED it.

They both like playing in the sand. I had found some sand toys that I had purchased for Mallory's 1st birthday and brought them along. Mallory was content to stay on the beach and venture into the water when she was curious about Ethan's antics while Ethan pretty much ran around, unafraid of where he was going or how deep he was going. The boy just loved the water. He loved the sand, too, but he didn't which one he liked best. All in all, it was a HUGE hit, it was free, and I'm hoping we can do it again before the heat of the summer goes away.

Summer Fun - Part 1

I've decided to break up some of our fun summer activities down in to segments, mainly because I have so many pictures in my "vault" that it will take me time to sift through them and write posts. Our summer has been crazy busy, yet I look back and wonder what we've done these past few months. From looking at my calendar and all of the events we've attended, we have had lots of fun and some good memories.

One thing I've been trying to do this summer season (and an unseasonably cooler summer season) is spend a lot of time outdoors. Being a native Floridian, I'm an indoor girl most of the time. And though I think FL is absolutely beautiful and would love to find myself there again sometime in the future, I am not a fan of 90+ degree weather. I'd rather be inside. But, I digress...

Local businesses have been sponsoring free concerts at one of our favorite local parks down by Boone Lake and we've made it to 2 of them. The first one, we brought our chairs, let the kids run, and listen to the duo who sang songs from the 80s and 90s. The second one, we were a little more ambitious and brought our portable grill, invited some friends and enjoyed a cookout. Both times we went, Mallory asked to "go to music time one more time". The kids have a good time, the adults get a little culture, and it's all around very fun. There are at least 2 more concerts I'd like to go to before the season lets up. I'm hoping they'll be on our agenda.

Ethan's First Prayer

Mallory has been our lead pray-er before our meals and she's had this role for a while now. Ethan usually has his hand out ready to pray before meals, exclaiming "Pay!", since he's almost always ready to eat, and finishes Mallory's prayer sometimes with a hearty "Amee" (followed by a hand clap).

This morning at breakfast, we held hands I asked Ethan if he'd like to say the prayer. He looked at me with his big blue eyes and said:

"Bless Daddy. Amee"

I smiled at his sweet innocence and prompted him to bless the food, though I did praise him for saying such a great prayer. I know full well that he has a big heart for his Daddy. He's awfully clingy to me these days, which gives the sense that he favors me, but I think I'm his comfort. Yes, I know he loves me too, but his love for his Daddy is there...way down deep in his heart that comes out at the sweetest times imaginable.

Gearing up for the Fall

While I was in Charlotte last weekend, I was able to visit with two home-school mom extraordinares (#1 and #2). I was greatly encouraged and gleaned ideas from both of them as to how to go about this "teaching your kids" stuff and that it can be done successfully. I mean, both of these lovely moms have 5 kids each...and if they can do it, I can do it! There's nothing that balms the soul...er, at least MY soul, than visiting with someone who encourages me. I get a new fire - an invigoration of my self-esteem as a mom, a wife, a homemaker, and all the other titles that are running through my mind (house cleaner, cook, dishwasher, launderer, etc).

Last week, I've spent several hours making some plans for what me and the kids will be learning over the Fall months (pre- and post- baby's birth) and I'm very excited about the research I've done and what I've drawn up in my precious plans.

Today, we're heading out for tax-free shopping to pick up needed supplies and crafts for what's in store in the coming months in addition to tackling the fall clothes shopping for my oldest two, whose wardrobe right now consists of 2 pairs of jeans each. Fall will be upon us soon, which brings a new addition to our family and little time for else. I've got to be prepared. So, I've got my list and my two charges and we're off to the races!

Not as what I thought it was going to be, but good nonetheless

Well, this week/weekend isn't ANYTHING like it was planned to be as of last week. This past week and it's happenings have taught me a lot about how "my ways are not God's ways". And I still don't know why everything worked out they way it did, but it's all for a reason.

Since May, this week was supposed to be slotted to have the kids at their Gommy and Poppy's house while I stayed at home, cleaned, organized, sewed, and prepared for Mossling #3. This past Sunday, I was supposed to drop off the kids and have Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs at home. Patrick and I booked a hotel room in Asheville to have one last hoorah before our family of 4 graduated to be a family of 5.

Until my ambitious mother broke her wrist last Friday.

My poor mom. Not only was she (er...IS she) in a lot of pain, she's emotionally spent from having an empty home instead of a full one. She has one arm in a cast, the other wrist tender from a sprain, and a knee with a big ol' strawberry. Both of our plans were hung out to dry, and we're still not sure why, but we both keep telling ourselves it's for a reason. And it is, but the reason is still unknown.

We were still planning on going to Elberton to visit mom and dad this weekend, but my mom was still feeling very poorly after her fall that she asked us to postpone our trip for a time where she can at least hold the kid's hands (something she felt she couldn't even do). SO, on Wednesday, we decided to come to Charlotte instead of Elberton. And since we already purchased our hotel room in Asheville, the kids came with (again, not what I had envisioned happening!). Our last hotel stay with them was...well, it was not fun. BUT, I had a different perspective this time: have fun, no matter what time bedtime is. So, instead of heading to bed at 8:30, we headed to the pool. We swam for about an hour, showered, and enjoyed each other for a few hours before our 10:30pm bedtime. At least they fell asleep peacefully.

Now, we're in Charlotte. I'm exhausted and have no clue when the kids will be in bed, but that's OK. We have no plans while we're here, which is unusual, but I didn't have any time to make plans! So, we don't know what's on the docket for tomorrow or Sunday, but we're here and we're together. I don't know when we'll be able to go to Gommy and Poppy's, but hopefully before this little guy arrives in late Oct. If not, then again, there is a reason.

Out with the old, in with the new.

We said "bye bye" to our faithful Ford today.

We weren't really in the market to buy a new car, really. We put tires on the Explorer about 3 weeks ago, realizing that the routers needed to be changed pretty soon. A few days later, a dreaded "noise" began. It started vibrating and humming whenever it accelerated and it just got worse. We talked about getting another vehicle eventually, after the Explorer died (it had 155,000 miles on it), but really no sooner.

Until last week.

My mom was telling me that my Dad heard about a way to get some of that "Obama Money" that is apparently floating around by getting rid of your car. There was some new legislation that was passed today called "Cash for Clunkers", where the government is giving 3500-4500 for cars that meet certain "clunker" requirements. We never considered our vehicle a clunker, but after some research, we determined that our beloved Explorer was eligible. After comparing the Kelley Blue Book value of the Explorer to the 4500 it could potentially rake in from Uncle Sam, we decided to look at purchasing a new vehicle more closely.

It's amazing how comparable new cars are with used cars (Cash for Clunkers is only eligible for trade-in towards a purchase of a new car). Patrick did the dealership legwork while I worked the computer keyboard, searching sites such as Edmunds.com, CarsDirect.com, and KBB.com. We learned the ins and outs of Cars for Clunkers and were prepared for how to get what we wanted for a new vehicle. We decided to shop for an American car and Patrick test drove a Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu and Saturn Aura. After looking at the cars (and some imports and small SUVs), we figured we could be the best deal for what we wanted with Saturn.

We've been looking and dealing with this decision for over a week - should we/should we not get a new car; should we/should we not fix the Explorer, etc. We finally made a decision and were able to close the deal today because the Cash for Clunkers legislation passed and we were able to get what we wanted. Not only did we get $4500 for a car worth $2500, we also got an additional $200 for the scrap metal, since our Explorer will be crushed and recycled to be made into something a little more friendly to our environment. We also got an additional $2750 cash back from Saturn for a model that was listed below invoice (and Saturns usually sell for MSRP, not invoice). SO, we got a really great deal on a new car - a 2009 Saturn Aura.

There's not much info on Auras out there, since it was introduced in '07, but it has really cool features, such as standard On Star, automatic and manual transmission, bluetooth capability, MP3 outputs, etc. We found a model with a few bells and whistles that we weren't expecting to be able to afford, so it's been pretty exciting.

Patrick and I have learned a lot about appreciating the other person's strengths during this whole process. He wanted to make sure he got the car he wanted by working the dealerships, testing the cars, and figuring out color/interior and other things. I wanted to make sure we got the price right, crunching the numbers and making sure we were getting the money we desered from the government AND the dealership. I didn't want to do what he did. And he didn't want to do what I did. Therefore, we made a great team in this whole process.

The kids like Daddy's "New Gold Car". Ethan calls it a sports car and could spend all day in it. Never in my life have I EVER had a brand new car and it feels a little weird. I have to say, though, that it was a great deal. Neither of us are feeling "buyers remorse" and are very glad to have a new addition to our vehicle family. So, if you're in the market for a car and are interested in knowing any info on the clunker bill, let me know. I'm pretty well versed :-).

The Squirelliest of all Squirelly Girls

Mallory is a gem of a little girl - not too girly yet not a tom-boy either - just a little bit of both. She's a smart little cookie when it comes to letters, numbers, and reading. One of her favorite activities is reading words, forming sentences from the word that she read or finding an object that the word is or the word describes. She loves to read books that have to do with letters.

Her favorite toys are letter toys. Let me tell you a funny story about one of her letter toys. The toy I'm referring to is called "Red Toy"...er...well, she calls it red toy. Anyway, the letter "M" on red toy stands for "Museum". There are several settings on the toy where you can learn about where the "museum" is (next to the place on the toy that begins with "N" and "L"), what you see in a museum, what time we go to the museum and how to spell museum. Well, one day, my mom and I were talking about what I was going to do with the kids and I said "Well, I'm thinking about taking them to the m-u-s-u-e-m today" to which Mallory responded "Go to the museum!". I was dumbfounded.

Our most common nickname for Mallory is "Squirrely Girl". It's appropriate for her, since she darts from here to there and everywhere with mind-blowing speed. She crawls, jumps, climbs and cavorts all over house and the objects therein. She has no fear of playgrounds and the vast climbing structures that are usually around. She has climbed a rock wall (with ease), has excellent hand/eye coordination, and has all the energy of a few 3-year-olds when it comes to playing outside. She's an atheltic little mite.

She is still very non-social, though. She clings to mommy or daddy whenever a stranger is around, screams at other little kids if they even LOOK at her, and is not very pleasant with an unsuspecting stranger who tells her how beautiful she looks. We're still working on her social skills...

Our daughter loves compliments, though. She'll pick up her books, run into the living room, and say "You did a GREAT job cleaning up your books!". Or, she'll put her clothes on for the day, run into the living room and say "You look SO BEAUTIFUL in your _________ (pink shirt, stripped shirt, white shirt, etc)" or she'll say something to the effect of "You did a GREAT job putting your clothes not on backwards!". Patrick says we need to teach her some humility, but she does share compliments with her brother, telling him how beautiful he looks in his clothes or doing a great job eating all his dinner or something to that effect.

Patrick is getting a little choked up seeing his baby girl growing so quickly. When we check on her at night, she's usually sleeping in the same position that she used to sleep in as a baby. She'll want to cuddle in the mornings or snuggle up while watching a video, only lasting a few minutes before she's...well, being squirelly. We wonder how long she'll want to do those things. Though we are excited about baby #3 being a boy, I know that Patrick will be wanting another little girl down the road because he'll miss his baby girl. BUT, Mal will always be his baby girl.

She'll be the squirreliest.

A little bit o' Ethan

My boy is so smart. Seriously. When I compare what Mallory was like when she was almost 20 months old to what Ethan is like, he's STRIDES farther along than she was. I don't think I had a conversation with Mallory until...well, until just a few short months ago (just before she turned 3), not that I don't think Mallory is smart, it just took her a lot longer to communicate with us. I had my first conversation with Ethan the other morning:

Scene - Ethan has woken up from his evening sleep and is happily talking to himself in his crib. Mommy goes in to get Ethan out of bed.

Mommy: Hey Buddy! Did you have a good sleep?
Ethan: See Daddy?
Mommy: No Buddy, Daddy went bye-bye.
Ethan: Daddy bye-bye blue car?
Mommy: Yeah, Buddy. Daddy went to work in his blue car.
Ethan: See Gommy?
Mommy: No Buddy, Gommy isn't here today.
Ethan: Gommy bye-bye silver car?
Mommy (chuckling): Yeah, buddy. Gommy is bye-bye in her silver car.
Ethan: See Mommy!

He's by precious boy. He loves his Daddy and has a special place in his heart for his Gommy, though he loves seeing his Poppy, Grams and Pops, too. The other day, he pointed to the dining room chair his Pops usually sits in when he comes to visit and said "Pops chair". Whenever he sees me on the computer or cell phone, he says "Talk to Poppy". When he sees a picture of his Grams, he points to it and says "Eems! Eems!". He knows them all and loves them.

Ethan talks up a storm and is already starting to recite some of his ABC's and pick up lyrics from songs. He says please and thank you with being prompted and kindly gives Mallory her Doggie if he ever finds it laying around (it's rare the Doggie is laying around, but it happens...). When we're around town, he points out circles, rectangles, squares and triangles in things that he sees; it's just unfortunate for my germ-o-phobia that he likes to point out the square tiles in bathroom floors of every restroom we frequent while out (and we frequent a lot of them...). He also loves trucks. While we're out, he can spot the difference between a car, truck, Hummer, Jeep, big rig, tractor, dump truck, motorcycle, police car, fire truck, and ambulance. He knows his vehicles!

Though he has MANY sweet qualities, he knows how to throw a tantrum. The boy will run mindlessly in any given direction if he doesn't get his way, sometimes into walls, chairs and tables which makes his excessive screaming more screech-like. He can cry and scream with the best of them, but once his big blue eyes (albeit, red-rimmed) turn to me and he confirms he's "'kay, I sowwy" (and I repeat it to him...), his crying usually subsides and he's good to go.

He's our sweet buddy and keeps us laughing and guessing all the time.

Good Intentions. Really.

I have a host of things I'd love to post on my blog: things that the kids are doing/saying, what I've been up to, what I'm enjoying the most these days, how hectic life is, pics, parties, everyday things. I have intentions of writing and posting, yet my intentions go to bed with me during the kid's afternoon naps. I'm so tired all the time, carrying around an extra XX lbs and rumbly tumbly baby. Mallory and Ethan keep me on my toes, teaching me more about patience daily (since we seem to fight the same battles daily), and I often question if anything I'm saying or doing is getting through their heads.

I've been learning what it means to "lean on the everlasting arms" of Jesus lately.

I often feel like what I say to my kids isn't sinking in, what I do isn't appreciated (since what I do is to clean up messes to it can become a mess again), and when the end of the day approaches, my accomplishments seem frail and meaningless. I've learned lately that in the occupation that God has called me to, my responsibilities are what they are and I'm learning to take joy in glorifying God in changing diapers, wiping dirt off the floors and pouring one more cup-full of detergent in my washing machine.

I had a breaking point today. In the midst of strapping the kids into their car seats today, beginning to haul them around every which-way this morning (starting at 7:30am!!!), Ethan said to me "Mommy, kiss!" to which I leaned in and he gave me a HUGE head-butt right in the nose. I buckled over, he started laughing and Mallory says "Silly Mommy!". I don't know, but it just made me cry. Big tears. I realized at that moment that no matter what I do, or what "angels" they seem to be, they are sinful - just like me - in need of Jesus. I realized that I couldn't take my anger or frustration out on them and I could either choose to love them or be rude to them. Needless to say, I loved them by remaining quiet, trying to wipe my tears and hold myself together without them noticing too much, and biting my tongue as they pinched, screamed, and hit each other throughout the morning - disciplining them quietly and patiently, quelling my bubbling wrath in the process. Motherhood is tough. And doing it patiently is tougher.

Patrick and I have been swamped with our respective occupations (him a little moreso than me) in addition to intentionally act out I Cor 10:24 with each other. It's been really, really hard to put "self" last on the list and each other first, but the fruits of our labors have been growing little by little. We're starting to understand what it means to "learn to love" and that by loving through serving God and each other really does cause a healthy, vibrant relationship to blossom. It's been a tough lesson. We're still learning. It's hard, hard, hard. It took us both to hit rock bottom to get this knocked in our head, though...and it was a big rock.

I haven't been behind my camera lately. Though I enjoy taking pictures, I now get bogged down with the amount of pictures I take, the time it takes to download and sort through them, then try to figure out what the heck to do with all of them. I'm trying to get over it, you know, the idea that what I enjoy doing causes me to have to find a chisel to carve more time into my already busy days. So I just put that aside. I have taken a few pictures lately and I miss it. I miss photography.

I have been enjoying cooking. I've been inspired by a cooking site that apparently has been around for a while, I guess I'm just not that "in" to what's in the bloggy world. Though I haven't tried a recipe from Deb's site, the food photos are enough to get me up and cookin'. I've been on my favorite recipe site a lot, trying to figure out what to do with some excessive ingredients I have laying around; our jalapeno and tomato plants are harvesting an abundance of produce. I've made some extremely tasty homemade mexican items, including sauces and salsas that have made my usually tastey dishes more tastey. Also, the in-season blueberries and peaches have caused me to whip up some great breakfast bread and lure me into a more healthy snack rather than a processed one. I've dabbled with new recipes, created some of my own, and have really enjoyed being in my kitchen. I love watching my family eat well, some of it healthy, some not, and enjoy it. I'm hoping to share some recipes with you because I've really, really liked creating these healthy, hearty meals for my family, feeling like I'm doing some kind of good for their bodies with my cooking.

Enough meandering for now, I guess.

I have great intentions of pairing recipes with food pictures I've taken, writing post after post on the kids, sharing other creative things I've tried to attempt, sharing about the littlest Mossling and what he has brought to our lives already, and such and such. For now, the intentions will remain, but I've GOT to take a nap before I keel over salivate on the keyboard.

Poo Poo

I have to post about this because this is my daughter's poopy time...

My daughter has taken to the potty very well. She is very good at holding her pee pee until she reaches a potty and has already mastered the art of holding her bladder through the night, which she's been doing almost right from the beginning. She has yet to master poo poo in the potty.

I'm thankful to say, though, that she is smart enough to change herself into a diaper, poop in the diaper, and patiently wait until we come and change her. There have been a couple of times where this has been disastrous, but for most of the time, there is little mess.

So, how do I get her to poo in the potty and not in her diaper? At this point, if there are no diapers in her room, she poos in her panties and it's...it's...not fun. So, do I patiently wait for her to choose to poo in the potty or is there some other tactic you recommend?

A great 4th of July holiday!

I'm feeling much better since my crazy weekend last weekend...

My sister was here the day I was discharged from the hospital and she left on Thursday afternoon. On Friday, my in-laws came in town and left yesterday, so this is the first day I've had the house to myself and the kids. Though I appreciated all the help over the last 7 days, it's nice to have the house back and start getting back into a routine. This week is crazy with DR appointments; Ethan had his 18-month well visit today (off the charts in all measurements and is doing great dispite a small cold) and I have a follow-up with my OB on Wed and then an ultrasound on Thurs. We also have other appointments throughout the week that are just going to keep me and the kids VERY busy. I'm hoping to do something fun with the kids this week at least ONCE.

We had a great 4th with Gram and Pops. We went to the Jonesborough Days parade and experienced lots of tractors, something which both kids enjoy. Mallory got to hold a bunny and they saw many different animals, include baby donkeys, ducks, and chickens. On Saturday, Patrick, Grams and Pops took the kids to the park and out to lunch so I can have some quiet at home (always a blessing!!!). After dinner on the 4th, we went to the carnival at church and stayed up until 10 to watch the fireworks. I loved watching my kids experience such a marvelous event. They did great staying up so late, but needless to say they CRASHED that night. Yesterday was a nice day of rest for all of us and are geared up for a busy week, though Patrick's work is plum crazy right now, so I'm hoping he's ready! I'm sure he's already looking forward to the weekend...

Here are a few pics from our weekend adventures and you can find more here, too.

An interesting weekend

Well, we've had a very interesting weekend in our household. On Thursday and Friday, I had started feeling pain in my lower left hip/groin area under my belly. Friday night, it got pretty bad and I started having regular contractions that were very painful. I was up almost all night on Friday and decided in the morning that I couldn't take the pain anymore and decided to head to the hospital.

I arrived around 7:15am and was in triage in L&D by 7:45. The fetal monitoring starting, which showed a very active and healthy baby. In addition, the nurse started monitoring the contractions, which were pretty regular, about every 8 minutes lasting about 30-40 secs. I wasn't too terribly concerned because they didn't feel like the "real" labor contractions, so I was frustrated more than scared. The DR came in and started to probe my belly and found a hard spot on my left side, one that I had felt the day before. He took and ultrasound and found that I had a 2-inch (golf-ball sized) fibroid within my uterine wall (intramural). The fibroid looked like it was starting to degenerate (die), which was irritating my uterus, causing it to contract. The contractions were very painful and I was having pretty consistent pain no matter what I did, including lying down, standing up, walking, resting, sitting, etc. I wasn't able to find any relief!

So, the doctor recommended I stay for the afternoon so I could rest and also try to stop the contractions. By 3pm, I had rested, but my contractions were still there and consistent. My OB visited me in the hospital and recommended I stay overnight so they can get the contractions to stop and so I can rest. By 9pm, my contractions finally abated after trying 2 different meds and I was able to get rest with the help of some IV narcotics.

I got home yesterday about 9am and then slept from 11:30 until 3pm. I'm on some meds until tomorrow that give me headaches and are causing some nausea and dizziness, which stinks. BUT, my sister is here this week to help me out with the kids! I'm so thankful for her help, especially now that due to lack of rest on Patrick's part, a small cold he started on Fri has developed into a full-blown sickness. He sounds pretty lousy and has an appt with a DR tomorrow. Amanda's trip has been VERY timely.

SO, as for what the next several weeks hold for my pregnancy, it's going to be a wait-and-see game. The fibroid could die or remain, causing me pain throughout my pregnancy or no more pain at all. The main thing is to avoid pre-term labor! So, rest, rest, rest and not overdoing it are key!

Gram's funeral was today and I was very sad that all the shinanigans this weekend caused Patrick to miss it. I've been very thankful for his support over these last few days, as well as all the phone calls and help from our friends and church family. I will keep you all posted on what's going on...

Gram Cherinka

Part of our vacation last week was a trip up to PA to visit Patrick's maternal grandmother. She had been in a nursing home for a few months and had been doing very well and in good health. We had debated on whether or not to trek up there, but in the end we felt it would be best to go ahead and visit while 1. We had only 2 kids to care for and 2. Gram was in good health. Last Monday we were able to spend the majority of the day with her. Patrick's and his Uncle Mac went to pick her up from the nursing home and brought her to Mac and Rita's house, where we were staying. The kids were able to play, nap, and continue on what was there routine so they could have a pleasant visit with her.

While the kids (and I) were napping, Patrick spent a good hour and a half talking with her, sharing about the kids, catching up, and hearing stories of Gram's past. We ate dinner, took a few pictures, and then Gram needed to head home. We had such a nice visit and I'm so glad that we took the time to travel up north.

My mother-in-law told me several times in the last week and a half how much our visit meant to Gram. Gram apparently talked about the kids a lot and enjoyed seeing their antics (some of them crazy...) while we were there, even only for a few hours.

My mother-in-law called me today to let us know that Gram passed away this morning. Her downturn was fairly quick and, in my opinion, seemed to die suddenly. My in-laws are travelling up to PA at this time and Patrick has not yet determined what he wants to do. I'm so very thankful that we got to spend at least a part of a day with her last week. What a blessing it was to be able to see her before she passed away. Our visit was timely and was very special for Gram, Patrick, the kids, and me. Please keep the family in your prayers.

From the mouth of babes...

Mallory's prayers have been common and the same for several weeks now as she prays before bed and meals. While Patrick has been on vacation, the children have been sitting with us as we pray together. This morning, Mallory decided she wanted to pray. Here is what she prayed for...

Mallory: "Lord Jesus, we love you. Thank you for go to hospital. Thank you for grocery store and Lowes. Thank you for bath tubs and showers and orange letters crackers. Thank you for pink juice and coffees. Thank you for car transporters and silver car. Thank you for rubber duckies. Amen."

The prayer was followed by a hearty rendition of Jesus Loves Me.

*Note:
Hospital - her favorite toy is a letter toy where "H" stands for hospital. She asks to go to the hospital all the time
Orange Letters Crackers - Cheez-it's with letters on them (her favorite snack)
Pink Juice - her juice cup, which is pink
Silver Car - our mini van
Rubber Duckies - why she prays for them, I don't know...she's afraid of them.

The Boomerang Express!

Mallory and Ethan both experienced a delightful time in VBS this week at our church. I was a helper in Mallory's class (the 3's), which was a designated age group for staff children only. Ethan was in the nursery, also for staff kids. I wanted them to be a part, so necessarily I was on staff :-). I'm glad they were both a part of the event; both had fun, both stayed up REALLY late this week, and both made new relationships. Mallory's favorite part about the whole thing was singing and seeing KoKo the Koala...oh, and the choo choo she passed every time we went inter her classroom.

I've realized through this whole event that even though my kids...our preschoolers...are so young, they CAN learn about Jesus, they CAN learn scripture, and they CAN learn concepts that we don't think they can learn. Yes, their attention span is short, yes they need more activity to keep their minds on task, but they can learn. Don't underestimate the 3 year old's (or even 1.5 year old's!!!) capacity to learn.

I do have some video that Patrick took of Mallory's on-stage debut. She happened to be front and center and did great. I was very proud of her and am happy that she was able to enjoy this week at church. I'll post that video when I get it uploaded...

Here are a few pics of the kids...

From the mouths of babes

Setting:

We're at the Blue Plum festival in Johnson City. Mallory needs to potty and has just recently started going on a full-sized toilet. The only restroom options were porta-potties at the festival and I knew I wasn't going to get her to pee pee in one of those. Thankfully, I spotted one of these, which sported real-looking toilets:
















I praised her profusely for going potty on the big-girl potty, our term for a toilet. We tell Daddy and Ethan and are very excited over her accomplishment. On the way home from the festival, we had this conversation:



Mallory: Go home, tell Doggie.

Mommy: What are you going to tell Doggie, Mallory?

Mallory: Go see Ella dance
(we went to her friend Ella's dance recital that night before the festival)

Mommy: What else are you going to tell Doggie?

Mallory: Go see lots of people at festival

Mommy: Are you going to tell Doggie where you went pee pee tonight?

Mallory: (brief pause) Tell Doggie Mallory went pee pee in the tractor potty.

Hiding God's Word in our Hearts - Ephesians 4:32