The Wilson's Dang Blog

Even more so

2012-01-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

When I was a teenager the main family I would babysa\it for had three kids. The oldest was Megan, then D.J. and Zack was the youngest. Before I would start sitting for a family I would always go over to visit to get a feel for the family.

While I was visiting with Ms. Kathy, the mom, she told me "Little boys are different. But D.J.... He's even more so." She told me lots of moms had told her that, even moms of other little boy. I didn't fully understand what she meant. Then I started sitting for them. D.J. wasn't a bad kid be any means! He was just full of energy, extremely curious, loud, so sweet and maybe a little mischievous.

Sound like another little boy I know. My very own, Jeremiah!

I have had other moms tell me the same thing Ms. Kathy was told about D.J. "Little boys are different. But Jeremiah... He's even more so."

It's taken me a little while to come to grips with what this mean.

Honestly, at first, it made me judged. Jeremiah loves to run, yell and be wild. I would see looks from other parents like I couldn't control my child. So I would try to get Jeremiah to behave the way other people thought he should. It just made things so much more stressful. He didn't understand why he couldn't play or explore and would become frustrated. Which just made him louder. The result would be more looks and cycle would continue.

Then I became defensive. Who are these other moms? What do they know about my son? i was ready for a smack down. Not a good thing to be prepared for.

I was left struggling, Trying to figure out what to do.

Over Christmas Matt's uncle and aunt were so encouraging! They just really praised Jeremiah for his energy, his curiosity, sweetness, and even the loudness and mischievousness! They shared that one of their kids was the same way, and he outgrew it!.

After the encouragement, lots of prayer and talking to Matt, I now have a plan! I'm not going to try to force Jeremiah into a box that other people think he should be in. I'm going to let him run, yell and play. I'll be there right there with him running, yelling and playing. Showing him that he's loved and isn't expected to change. Teaching him that it's good to want to explore and even be wild in the right setting. How to control himself. Even harness his curiosity and apply it.

9 months

2012-01-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

How is it that Ephram is 9 months old? I'm already starting to think about his first birthday party! Yesterday morning I looked at the clock at 10:44. It was strange to think that nine months ago he had been born yet. Then I started to laughing thinking about the exciting car ride we had going to the hospital and how grateful I am that he wasn't born at 10:44!

Sign "all done" and every now then he signs "more"
Can clap. He loves to sing If Your Happy and You Know it. He claps through the whole song.
Is a book worm already.
Not crawling yet, but has started rolling to get places.
Waves occasionally.
Sleeping much better! Still not through the night but so much better!
Splashing in the bathtub is one of his favorite things to do. Slashes almost as big as Jeremiah's
Loves being outside.
Has 4 teeth!
Shakes his head no. Awesome.
Dances. It's a lot like shaking his head no, but to music
Wears size 12 month.
Weighs around 23lbs according to our scale. I take him for his 9 month appointment in a few weeks. So we won't have the official weight till then.

There's no picture yet because he has horrible diaper rash and is super cranky. Hopefully I'll get one in the next few day.

Meals

2012-01-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed cooking so much this week! It was wonderful just needing to get the meal together without first figuring out what I was going to make.One thing I learned is when you cook a lot, there are leftovers! So this week I'm going to be cooking meals that I didn't have a chance to make last week.

My favorite meal last week was the Alfredo! Nummy! I've treied a few different Alfredo recipes in the past, but they never turned out right. This recipe took longer then I thought it would. But so worth it! If you make it, make sure to give yourself pleanty of time!

Sunday: Honey Garlic Chicken and rice with mixed veggies. Already in the crock pot.
Monday: Chicken Marsala over pasta with roasted veggies (I was so bumbed I didn't get fix this last week! Can't wait till dinner tomorrow!)
Tuesday: Sheperds Pie with rolls. I'm determined to figure out how to bake bread!
Wednesday: Left Overs or a quick meal, like brinner
Thursday: Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and salad
Friday:Roasted Chicken with roasted green beans
Saturday: Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

8 Months & Frist Christmas

2012-01-13T12:42:00.000-08:00

Meals

2012-01-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

Something I'm hoping to get better at is meal planning. In an effort to accomplish this, I thought I would post me meal plan here. Got the idea from my friends Brit. I'm also hoping to try some new recipes. It seems like we end up eating the same meals. There are a few new ones this week that I'm pretty excited about! I'll let you know how they turn out.

Sunday: Honey Garlic Chicken and rice with mixed veggies
Monday: Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and salad
Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo with broccoli
Wednesday: Stuffed pork chops with roasted green beans
Thursday: Fajitas with onion and peppers and black beans
Friday:Spaghetti and meat balls
Saturday: Chicken Marsala over pasta with roasted veggies(I can't wait to try this, I love chicken marsala!)

7 Months

2011-11-29T15:34:00.001-08:00

Ephram turned seven months while we were visiting my family for Thanksgiving. It's been exciting to see more and more of his little personality come out.

He now has 2 teeth! The bottom two. I don;t think the third is too far behind.
Loves eating! But not baby food. I think it's the spoon he doesn't like. He'll eat anything that he can put in his mouth or I feed him off my finger. He's eaten many more foods then I would have ever thought about giving Jeremiah at this age!
Still not sleeping through the night. While teething he was waking up every three hours! Thankfully he's back to just once a night.
He's a lover boy! He'll grab my face and give me kisses, violently! When I pull away from him my hair has been pulled out of it's poney tail and droll is covering my face. He kisses other people, but not with the same intensity.
He has discovered Tonks and is fascinated by her!
Can roll both ways, but just has no desire to do it. He's very content.
We're starting to sign with him. There have been a couple times I've thought he's tried to sign milk. It seems like he's starting to get the meaning of the signs. Pretty exciting.
In his big boy convertible car seat.
Last week Matt weighed him on our scale, 21 lbs! He's my chunky monkey.

Weighing in

2011-11-09T05:49:00.000-08:00

At Ephram's 6 month appointment he weighed 19lbs and 6oz! I was a little surprised he was so close to 20lbs already. What really surprised me was that at Jeremiah's 6 month appointment he was 17lbs 9oz. Ephram weighs 2lbs more then Jeremiah did at the same age! Up till this point the boys have been an ounce a part. At birth, 2 months and 4 months. Just one ounce. Now Ephram is up 2lbs! He's a chunky monkey and I love it!

6 months

2011-10-31T19:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month for Ephram! Turning half a year old is a big deal!

Started solid foods. At first he was not a fan, now he loves it! And we've only tried rice cereal. Veggies are coming this week.
Sits up on his own now.
Loves to sit and pull toys out of a basket.
Has started making a "fart" (for lack of a better word) noise.
Extremely ticklish! On his sides, under arms and especially is collar bones.
Still not rolling from his tummy to his back. He so close! I can't wait because he has woken up a few times stuck on his tummy.
Not sleeping through the night yet. I'm hoping that by the next update that will have changed.
Tomorrow he will have his six month appointment, so I'll have an update on his weight then!

Trying rice cereal for the first time

"This is not milk!"

"That wasn't so bad."

Six months

Look a like

2011-10-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

Both of my boys at six months. Can you tell them apart?

Look a likes

2011-10-12T06:34:00.000-07:00

Can you tell which boy is which?

Jeremiah Update

2011-10-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a conversation we had at the dinner table.

Jeremiah swallows, "Where'd it go?"

Me: "It's in your tummy."

Jeremiah lifts up his shirt and looks at his tummy.

Me: "When you swallow the food goes from your mouth to your tummy."

Jeremiah holding up one hand and putting the other in his mouth: "I get it!"

He tried so hard to get it that he made himself gag! Matt and I were laughing One of the funniest things I've seen him do.

One of his favorite things to do is play outside and look for bugs. He walks around the yard, "You-who! Bugs! Where'd da go? Go to church, bug go to church." I love that that's his first thought. Encourages me that we're on the right track with him.

When we pray at meals and before bed Jeremiah always makes sure we hold Ephram's hands too. Jeremiah asks often that we thank God for Ephram. He's such a sweet big brother.When his love isn't too tough.

He loves to play with Tonks. Tonks isn't super well trained so she doesn't drop her toy on command. He's discovered that if he and Tonks both have her toy, he just needs to scream as loud as he can and she'll drop it. Works every time!

He knows his colors.

Can count to three and we're working on our other numbers.

9 days out of 10 he doesn't get out of bed before falling asleep! Huge milestone for us!

Ready. Set. ROLL!

2011-10-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

5 Months

2011-10-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Ephram rolls a lot now! He rolls from back to tummy, no problem. Still hasn't gotten the hang of tummy to back
He's cutting his first tooth. Been a painful process for all of us.
Drank from a cup for the first time. Was quit traumatic since it was cold breast milk. His eyes popped open, arms started waving and screaming. Maybe we'll try warm milk next time.
Doesn't like a paci anymore.
No longer wants to be swaddled. Uses a sleepsack sometimes.
Is fascinated by his big brother!
Loves looking at books.
As you can tell from some of the pictures, loves being outside.

To My Sweet Boys

2011-10-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

This post is in response to a comment "my boys" left me.

Dear Boys,

You're right, there has been a lack of photos and blogging on here. A lot of that is due to a lack of comments on said photos. Talk to Aunt Kierstyn and Grandma about getting better about that and I'll work on getting better at posting current pictures.

Love, Momma

The boys comment...

dear mommy, we wanted to let you know that the ephram is now over 5 months old and jeremiah is almost 21/2 yrs old....there seems to be a shocking lack of current photos of us on this blog and since we are half of the dang wilsons we would like to be better represented. if not we might have to share this issue with aunt kierstyn!! but we love you best, so you get first shot!

love your sweet boys!!

4 Month Pictures... Finally!

2011-10-03T05:38:00.001-07:00

4 Months

2011-08-25T17:03:00.001-07:00

As usual, I'm late on the monthly update on Ephram. I had been waiting till I took his pictures. I'm even more behind on that! I'll be adding them soon.

Ephram had a doctors appointment this week. He weighs 15lb and 12oz 24 and 1/2 inches. Growing like a weed!

Rolled over for the first time! Hasn't done it since, and that's ok with me

Doesn't like being sung to, unless it's skinamarinky dinky dink

Wearing size 9 month sleepers! Can still wear 6 month in everything else

Wearing size 3 disposable diapers when not in cloth

Loves watching his brother

Takes a paci to fall asleep

Still likes to be swaddled to asleep

Typically only wakes up to nurse once a night

Has stayed in the church nursery twice!

3 Months

2011-07-31T14:08:00.000-07:00

Ephram is a quarter of a year old! Insane! He's changed so much. I was looking at some pictures from the week after he was born and was shocked by how much bigger he is.

He's been rolling onto his side. Not all the way over yet, and that's a-ok with me!

Loves having someone right in his face talking and making eye contact with him

Sleeping in the nursery

Wakes up only once during the night

Watching Jeremiah play is a favorite pat time

Likes looking at books

Splashes during bathtime

Mommy Brain

2011-07-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

I took Jeremiah to the pediatrician this morning. He had been running a low grade fever and last night during bath time he would cry every time water got in his ears. I went to check him and this is the conversation the receptionist and I had...

Receptionist: What's his birthday?
Me: I said April 24, 2009.
R sounding a little confused :What's his name?
Me: Jeremiah
R: Is his birthday April 17, 2009?
Me: No, that's his brother's, Ephram, birthday.

She looked really confused at this point. I then realize that I told her Jeremiah's birthday was on the 24 which is Matt's birthday and Ephram's birthday was the 17 when that's Jeremiah's birthday. I laugh and tell her that my husband and two sons all have their birthdays within a week. I then give her Jeremiah's correct birthday. Maybe I need to start drinking coffee!

Mommy Guilt

2011-07-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

I thought I knew what "mommy guilt" was. Having Ephram opened my eyes to a whole new relm of guilt! I feel guilty for not playing enough with Jeremiah. I feel guilty about leaving Ephram in his bouncer while I play with Jeremiah. I feel guilty that I can't keep up with my house, laundry and dishes the way I was used to. I feel guilty that by the time Matt gets home I'm so tried and covered in spit up and Jeremiah's lunch that I don't care about his day. I feel guilty over the many projects I've started and haven't been able to finish. I feel guilty over the small amount of time I make to spend with the Lord. I feel guilty for wasting the "free time" I get. I could go on, but you get the idea. Guilt. Lots of it.

Matt's been such an encouragement to me as I've shared my struggles with him. He gave me freedom from some of the guilt by telling me he does not care about the house being clean. I still keep it picked up, but I'm not freaking out about when I vacuumed last. Trust me, you don't want to know when that was. Honestly, I don't know either. He's been amazing about getting home from work and hitting the ground running to give me a break. Literally! Jeremiah would play chase with his daddy all day!

There's a new song, Everything You Do by Steven Curtis Champan that's been encouraging to me. Helps me get my focus on what my priorities need to be and how the other stuff isn't that important. Here's the first verse and chores of the song

You’re picking up toys on the living room floor
for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost
Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips
and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you

Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do

I just stumbled across a blog that dealt with this. I was so refreshed by the blog. To be reminded of the value in what I'm doing by being a Momma, because this is what I've been called to do. It's not an easy calling, more times then not it's pretty darn scary! But through God's grace my boys and I make it through each day. And I learn a little more about how to be the Momma God created me to be.

Jeremiah-ism

2011-07-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

We were driving home one night and Matt and I hear a fart from the back seat. We both look at each other because it did not sound like that could come from a little boy. In the back eat Jeremiah is just staring out the window. When we asked him what that noise was he looked at us with huge eyes, like he couldn't believe we were asking him that. He promptly said"Da baby did it!" I couldn't stop laughing! 2 years old and already blaming his little brother!

I was nursing and Jeremiah started trolling for a snack. It got very quiet in the kitchen, never a good sign. I walk into the kitchen to find Jeremiah sitting on the floor holding the open container of Quick and a spoon. He scooped up a spoonful of Quick, ate and proclaimed it "dewishish!" (delicious).

During nap time I was working in my room. I turn around and see Jeremiah walking to me (whenever he wakes up he come to find me or Matt). He put his hands up by his face and said "Tada!" I picked him up and he feel right back to sleep, awesome trick!

Say My Name

2011-07-07T13:07:00.001-07:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

sweet baby sounds

2011-07-06T10:06:00.001-07:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

4 Year Anniversary

2011-07-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Matt and my 4 year anniversary. Here are some pictures that Matt thought of asking my sister to take. I love that we have some new pictures of just the two of us! I get so focused on getting pictures of the boys that I forget about Matt and me. I feel like these pictures really capture our relationship.

Big Boy Bed

2011-06-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

While we were in Oklahoma, Jeremiah figured out how to get out of the pack-n-play. He's gotten out of them before, but never in the middle of the night or out of his own crib. We got home from the airport at 12:45. Jeremiah slept in it no problem. But he came into out room the next morning.

Since he won't stay in his crib any more he's making the move to the big boy bed! It's been a lot harder then I thought! It's like having another new born. He's not sleeping through the night any more and waking up SUPER early!

We're on day 6 of working on the big boy bed. The first 2 nights it took him 2 hours to fall asleep! Night 3 was only 45 minutes! Yay! Moving the right direction. Night 4 was 75 minutes. Last night was about 45 again. We had been using the SuperNanny technique, where you put them back in bed without speaking to the child. That was working alright at bed time but when Jeremiah woke up during the night it didn't help. Night before last Jeremiah was up from 3:30 till 5:30! Yesterday was a LONG day.

I did some more research and found that when kids are first moving into a big bed, starting right next to the child and slowly working your way out of the room works well. Matt and I were getting desperate and decided we would give that a try. It worked really well! It was the best night Jeremiah's had since being in his new bed. Fell asleep within an hour. Got up at 3:30, took him about an hour to stay asleep. Got up 20 minute after falling back asleep but feel right back to sleep. This is the best part, he slept till 6:45! YAY!

I'm interested to see how this new technique will work at nap time. Nap times are hard since I'm the only adult here during the day. Yesterday I was trying to keep Jeremiah in bed while nursing. Not an easy task! I called Matt to come home and help. :-) Hopefully last night we turned a corner.

Passed out in his big boy bed

Family Pictures

2011-06-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Fathers Day

2011-06-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

Late I know, but we did not have a quiet Father's Day. My Papa Jimmie passed away on the Thursday before Father's Day. We were at the airport trying to Oklahoma City last Sunday. We were incredibly blessed to be able to fly standby and all four of us be able to make it out.

Father's Day afternoon we were at the funeral home with my family. It was an emotional Father's Day for all of us. It was the first Father's day since both my papa's passed. As hard as that was there were some good things. I was able to see my daddy. It was Matt's first Father's Day with two sons.

All my boys!

Happy Father's Day Matt! I'm so thankful for the father you are and the example you give our boys of what a godly man is. Love you!

2 months

2011-06-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ephram is two months old! Makes me a little sad that he's already out of the new born stage, but I love how interactive he's getting!

Smiles a lot!

Cooing and making all kinds of sweet baby noises

Starting to out grow his 3 month clothes! He wore a 6 month sleeper last night!

Wearing cloth diapers. Nothing cuter then a baby in a bright colored clothe diaper!

When in disposables in size 2 diapers.

Prefers to sleep in his swing

Still loves to be swaddled

A paci baby

Starts to cry to get my undivided attention

On a 3 - 3 and a half hour schedule

Goes one 6 hour stretch at night. He's waking up to nurse out of habit, hopefully we'll be sleeping through the night soon!

Clutches onto burp rags or his clothes when he's really up set

At his two month appointment was 12 lbs 10 oz and 22 and half inches

Look alike?

2011-05-27T07:27:00.001-07:00

What do you think?

1 Month

2011-05-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

Ephram is a month old! Hard to believe. I like to think back going, a month ago we came home from the hospital! Ephram is doing great! Here's a quick update on him.

He LOVES to be swaddled! Even when he's not sleepy, he likes to be swaddled, snuggled and look around.

He's a paci boy.

Nurses every 2:30 to 3 hours. Unless he's going through a growth spurt, then it's 2 to 2:30.

Longest stretch between feedings was 6 hours during the night.

The swing is his favorite place, beside someone’s arms

Brothers

2011-05-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah has loved having a little brother... most of the time. Here are a few of the moments they've shared.

The first time Jeremiah meet Ephram, he came into the hospital and said, "It's a baby! Hold!"

Jeremiah was holding Ephram the other day and started pulling on Ephram's hands. I told him to be gentle and asked what he was doing. Jeremiah pulled Ephram's hands together and then said "pray". Melted my heart! First that our family prayer time is taking hold in Jeremiah. Second, that he wanted to teach his little brother about praying. I pray that this part of my boys relationship will continue to grow.

Yesterday while nursing, Jeremiah was leaning against me and then started leaning toward Ephram. I didn't think anything of it because a few minutes ago he leaned in to snuggle Ephram. I should have been worried! Jeremiah leaned in a bit Ephram on the knee! I couldn't believe it! Ephram wasn't too phased by it. I think Jeremiah is having a little jealousy.

Any time Jeremiah hear Ephram crying he runs to me saying "Da baby! Da baby!"

Jeremiah "helps" by finding pacis and throwing away diapers.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T17:12:00.001-07:00

So much for calm

2011-04-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

I closed my last blog with, "Here's hoping we all sleep well tonight and tomorrow is calmer then today!" I did not get my wish.

I woke up through out the night with contractions. At 4:30 I got up because they were keeping me up. I tried watching a movie and walking. Walking made them more painful. After 90 minutes I got Matt up. He suggested laying on my side, that slowed them down to about every 6 minutes but they were still pretty painful. I hopped in the tub to see if that would help any. Made no difference.

After all the drama of going to the hospital and being sent home with Jeremiah was nervous to go. I did not want to be sent home. Especially since I had been to the hospital the day before and the midwife told me I probably had over a week left.

Travis, Matt's brother, took Jeremiah out for breakfast. While they were out Matt and I packed a bag and I debated on if I should call my midwife. At this point the contractions were any where from 4 to 6 minutes. But so painful! I had to stop whatever I was doing to lean over on something. With them being far apart I was able to recover from one and then get ready for the next one. Shortly after Travis and Jeremiah got home, we called Brenda to come get Jeremiah.

When I called my midwife I was really torn on what to do, because she asked if I wanted to come in. I wanted her to just tell me to come in. I almost waited, but was so uncomfortable I thought Ephram was on the way or something was wrong.

The drive to the hospital take about 30 minutes. Longest 30 minutes of my life! The contractions started getting stronger and then closer, about every 3 minutes. I no longer felt like I could stay on top of them. 10 minutes into the drive I felt like I HAD to go the bathroom. When we had about 10 minutes left the contraction started lasting longer. I felt like I wanted to push.

Poor Matt. I could tell he was getting anxious the closer we got to the hospital and the labor became more intense. He's driving got faster and of course there were lots of slow people on the roads. He was amazing at encouraging me and helping me through the contractions.

As we pulled into the parking lot I started to lose it. I was telling Matt I couldn't do it. Walking from the car to the hospital we had to stop so I deal it a contraction. Waiting to be buzzed onto the L&D wing I had to hang on Matt to deal with the contraction. As we walked to the nurses station I heard every one there go, "Oh yeah, she's ready!" Had to stop on the walk to my room to deal with another contraction. I nurse was trying to talk me through, I kept telling her no, I think. :-) Once it was over she asked if I wanted an epidural, I said "Yes, if I still can."

We FIANLLY got to the room and I went to the bathroom to change. I went to go to the bathroom and my water broke. I yelled for Matt. He cam in and I told him, "my water broke, help me get undressed, I want to push!" The next bit is kind of a blur, but this is what I remember. A soon as I laid down I had a contraction and said I wanted to push. The nurse called Lynn, the midwife, in. Lynn checked me and said, "Ok, we're going to have a baby! Get the essentials!" I wasn't in the computer system, didn't have an IV. I felt completely out of control, not a feeling I enjoy. Apparently I was talking a lot too in between contractions, saying I couldn't do it and such. While I was pushing I heard them talking to me, but it didn't mean anything. Like on Peanuts when the adults talk "wha wha wha". I started pulling it together when I heard Lynn say, "You need to have this baby... Push out your baby... You can do this...His heart rate is dropping, push out your baby." She said it all in a very calm, matter of the fact way that helped me focus. I started hearing Matt telling me I could do it, that I was doing great and counting. I pulled it together and Ephram was born!

It was amazing because I felt him being born, sorry if that' TMI. :-) They put him on me right way. I was immediately blown away by all of his dark hair and how long he looked. Matt and I were able to start loving on him as soon as he was born. Matt got to cut the cord. The whole thing was completely different then Jeremiah's birth.

From the time we walked into the hospital till Ephram was born was 15 minutes. From the time I got on the bed till Ephram was born I had four or five contractions. We're very thankful we didn't have him in the car! Lynn told us we were lucky to have made it. Crazy!

So ended up having a natural labor and delivery. Ephram's only 3 days old and I can already see the curse (pain in childbirth but will still desire my husband and more children). I don;t remember the pain. I remember it was bad, and thinking "I will not do natural again! Who would choose to do this???" Just 3 days later I'm thinking, "that wasn't too bad, I could do natural again... If I had to."

God was good in that I as able to have Ephram so quickly after getting to the hospital. I don;t know what I would have done if I need to labor for a few more hours without an epidural. He knew exactly what I could handle and gave Matt and I wisdom on when to go to the hospital. God was faithful in blessing us with another beautiful, healthy little boy!

Here he is Ephram Brant 7 lbs 14 oz 20 inches Born April 23, 2011 at 11:24 am

Momma said there would be days like this

2011-04-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

It's been one of those days. Started last night when I found out that my papa passed away. Even though I knew it was coming, still knocked the wind out of me. Thankfully Matt was home and Jeremiah was with his grandparents.

Ephram is usually extremely active in the morning before I get out of bed. This morning I couldn't feel him. I tried drinking a soda and laying down, still nothing. After waiting a while I called my midwife. Of course all this is happening before the office was open. Matt and I headed to the hospital to make sure Ephram was all right. Praise the Lord, Ephram was fine. Pretty quickly after they started monitoring me I started feeling him move. That's how it always goes!

Even though Ephram seemed fine, they did a Biophysical ultrasound to make sure. It's just an ultrasound where they check the baby's gross body movement(arms and legs), fine movement (fingers and toes), breathing, amniotic fluid and heart. Ephram scored perfect! YAY!

Matt and I were thrilled to get to see Ephram again. We hadn't seen him since we found out he was a boy at 19 weeks! He's changed so much! We saw his hair, him opening and closing his eyes, his iris, big pouty lips and his diaphragm moving as he practised breathing! Incredible! They had a "buzzer" that they would use to get him to do the gross body movement. It was basically an electronic zurberter (raspberry). It was hilarious and adorable to see him jump every time the buzzer was used.

Jeremiah got to play with Nana all morning and have lunch out with her. He was so excited after the fun morning he decided he didn't need to nap. I was disappointed but he held it together really well! We had a fun afternoon playing with, I think, every toy in the house. By the time Daddy got home, this was how were were all feeling...

Here's hoping we all sleep well tonight and tomorrow is calmer then today!

Good Friday

2011-04-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Who can call Good Friday, “Good,”
A term too ‘oft misunderstood.
You who were bought by the blood of His cross,
You can call Good Friday, “Good!”

by Johnny Hart, B.C. Comic

Getting ready to say bye

2011-04-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

My papa's health has been failing. Last week I found out that it was time to start getting ready to say good bye. Today I found out that he's starting to slip away. It's so much harder then I thought it would be. I've been so removed with Ephram's pending birth and being in Georgia while Papa and my family are in Oklahoma. Now that the time is here, it's incredibly hard.

One of the most special memories I have of my Papa is from when I was a little girl, around five. I went to work with him. He let me sit at his big desk to color and play with the phone some. He needed o get a hair cut before we went home. While he had his hair cut I had my very first manicure! Granted, it was soaking my fingers in warm, soapy water and then having my nails painted. But it was a big deal! It was a fun day, just me and my Papa.

A little later, for my birthday maybe, he sent my an album with all the pictures of us from that day. Being in his office, walking through the building and him getting his hair cut while I had my manicure. I've always treasured that album because I knew Papa had done it just for me. Now, as he's passing it's a little more special to me.

Here are some pictures of when I was last with my Papa back in December. I'm so thankful that Matt, Jeremiah and I were able to be in Kansas for so long at Christmas. It gave us a chance to really spend time with my grandparents and let them get to know Jeremiah a little more.

Grandma and Papa. Great picture of Papa!

My whole family with my grandparents

My sisters and our kids with our grandparents

My grandparents with all of their great grandbabies

38 Weeks

2011-04-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

Full term! Just waiting for Ephram to decided he's done cooking and ready to come meet us!

I feel like I'm carrying differently this time, more out in front. Maybe it's because I've been chasing a toddler this pregnancy, not sitting at a desk having a snack. :-)

Ephram is starting to drop, wohoo! I can breath so much easier now!

I've started getting swollen. Freaks Matt out because by the end of the day I can leave finger prints in my legs. Gross, I know.

My braxton hicks contractions are getting more painful. Most of the time I need to stop what I'm doing to deal with them. They're still very irregular. Every time they start to get consistent they stop. Keeps me on my toes thinking "This could be it!"

I've been trying to take advantage of the last bit of time I'll have as a momma of one. Taking Jeremiah for walks, playing outside, anything he really likes just so we can have some special time together.

Getting ready for Ephram has been a lot easier in some ways. I know what to expect. I know what I want and need to have at the hospital and around the house for all of our sanity. It's been harder too. Trying to make freezer meals, clean, and organize all the baby stuff isn't so easy when there is an incredibly sweet helper following me around. I keep reminding myself, if it doesn;t get done before Ephram's born, it apparently didn't have to. Despite what I initially thought. Another hard part is logistics. Brenda, my MIL, is keeping Jeremiah while I'm in labor. So thankful for that! The thing I can't figure out is car seats. Do we put Jeremiah's car seat in her car and Ephram's in ours. Do we put both boys car seat in our car? Still have no idea how that will work out. Just need to make sure we have the car seat in the car we leave the hospital in. :-)

Here's the 38 weeks picture. Matt kept telling me I looked like I have a basketball under my shirt. I didn't believe him. Maybe I should have.

2 years old!

2011-04-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today I got to hold my little boy for the first time. I can't believe it's been 2 years! Seems like just a moment ago and a life time.

Right after he was born

His first birthday

Showing how old he is now

Getting ready to enjoy his cake!

Sweet Jeremiah,

You're becoming such a big boy! You've learned so much over the past year. You've learned how to walk and talk. But not only those kind of things but also the beginnings of self control, obedience and loving spirit. Daddy and I are thrilled to see God developing these qualities in you already. We're so proud of you! We can't wait to see how you grow and God changes you this year! We love you so much!

Daddy and Momma

36 Weeks

2011-04-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

My belly button has almost popped out. Freaks me out because that never happened when I was pregnant with Jeremiah. I'm getting swollen. Not nearly as bad as it was with Jeremiah but enough to where I've had to stop wearing my wedding ring. Never realized how much I played with my ring until I stopped wearing it.

Still having braxton hicks contractions. On Sunday night I thought I might need to call my midwife because I was having painful contractions every 10 minutes for 2 hours. Thankfully they slowed down. To clarify, I am seeing the midwives at my practice but planning on getting an epidural. I switched because there are less midwives then doctors, so I get to know them better. Plus, they're much more personal during appointment and from what I've heard during labor. I went back and forth for a while on if I wanted to have a natural labor. After a lot of talking to Matt, praying and research, decided I just really don't care about having a natural labor. After having contraction off and on for the last 10 weeks, I'm over it. :-)

Jeremiah still loves on the baby but doesn't really get it. The other day he tried to feed the baby his cookie. He's going to be such a sweet big brother!

Ephram is getting so big that you can easily see him moving through my belly. Kind of creepy looking, but awesome! Matt and I spend a good part of the evening "playing" with Ephram. Getting us very excited for in a few weeks when Ephram will be here! He'll be here before I know it!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-30T11:51:00.001-07:00

Stickers

2011-03-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah's turning out to be a very creative little boy! He loves playing with stickers, play dough and coloring. Here's his latest creation. Thankfully, it's not on the wall!

This is serious stuff!

"Cheese!"

The finished product. After multiple moves from shirt, to cheek, to paper.

I love how he crosses his feet.

Birthday

2011-03-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

My 26th birthday was last week. It was a low key day that my two boys made very special...

Matt had Jeremiah color a picture for me. Jeremiah gave it to me and the immediately ripped the stickers off and put them on his cheek.

Jeremiah said birthday for the first time on my birthday. Made this Momma feel very loved!

Matt grilled my favorite chicken.

Like I said low key, but with all the business we have coming up, low key was just what I needed!

Terrible Twos

2011-03-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

Who this sweet boy? It couldn't be terrible! He'sbeen testing us. Last night was point and case.

Jeremiah decided I wastaking too long to make dinner, so went looking in the pantry. He found something tasty! Syrup! Didn't know he had gotten that out till I see it on the carpet. Thankfully, it came out no problem.

After dinner, Matt and I were relaxing in the living room while Jeremiah played in the play room. I could hear him playing with his cars so wasn't worried. Until it was quiet, and had been for a few minutes. Matt went to check it out. His response, "Oh no... Megan!" I walk in and this is what I saw.

Except I saw Jeremiah standing up the table with black drool on his face, shirt and hands. I had forgotten to pick up the crayons after we had colored. Jeremiah ate part of a black one. He realized spit and crayon made a paint like substance and went to town on the wall.

Is it bad that my first reaction was, "This is hilarious! Where's my camera???" Wasn't so hilarious when we were trying toclean it up and figure out if the generic brand crayons were nontoxic. After a call to my mom, the store where we got the crayon, Mom, and poison control we decided we would all make it through the night. Barely!

I'm so glad we haven't painted Jeremiah's big boy room yet. Until we do, there will be some black hand prints on the wall.

Some few more pictures of Jeremiah's "art".

31 Weeks

2011-03-03T04:49:00.000-08:00

I'm 31 weeks and feeling good. Starting to feel big but know that I'll be a lot bigger by the end. I'm happy because I can still wear my wedding ring!

Jeremiah loves to pull up my shirt to look at my belly. He'll pat it, give it kisses and some times whack it. :-)He' pretty sweet, most of the time. My belly is starting to get in his way though. He's not able to snuggle up against me like he wants to. Lap space is getting limited, if not close to nonexistent.

Ephram seems to be a lot like his big brother. Very active! Except for when Matt tries to feel him. Ephram will be wiggling away, but once Matt tries to feel Ephram stops.

Wreath ADD

2011-02-23T12:33:00.000-08:00

Spring is almost here! And that means new decorations! I have a door mat that I really like, but nothing that coordinates to go one the door. I'm not one to go spend a ton of cash on one. So I got online ant started checking out some blogs for ideas.

I was planning on doing this one.

Went to Hobby Lobby to get everything I needed. Once Jeremiah was done for his nap I got to work. When I was almost finished, I realized I wasn't feeling it. It looked messy to me. I put it aside to try to think of something else to make with the supplies I had.

When I put the wreath down it, it landed upside down. I liked the clean lines of the ribbon. Reminded me of another wreath.

Last night I got to work on my wreath redo. I was pleased with how it turned out, but felt like it was missing something.

I really liked this one.

Only problem was, I don't have a sewing machine, or sew. After some brain storming and rummaging through my craft box I found the solution! More matching ribbon, coordinating felt and puff paint.

By using felt, you just need to cut it to size. Much easier!

Like I said, I have wreath ADD. After making three different wreaths I finally have one I like! It matches my mat and has bright colors that I love.

Curtains

2011-02-22T13:43:00.000-08:00

Last month I asked for your advice on curtains for my dinning room. Thanks for all the help! I thought about it a lot and took these back. Decided I wanted some with a pattern. After many trips to different stored I found some I love!

They still need some work. They're floor length which is not a good fit for my family right now. Right now they're just folded over the rod, classy I know. I'm planning on recruiting my mom to help me shorten them. How not quite sure. Good thing Mom is good at that kind of stuff!

The whole dinning room

Close up of fabric

Bathroom

2011-02-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

Last year I posted some pictures of Jeremiah's bathroom. Loved it, except the boring builders beige paint! Why is it that new homes are all that awful color? And flat paint no less. This weekend Matt painted the bathroom for me. Yay for no more beige!

I always get a little nervous when picking paint because I love bright colors but don't want my walls too bright. After much deliberation I picked a light blue. Thought it might be lighter then I wanted but I'm so pleased with the color I'm thinking about painting Jeremiah's new room the same color!

Living the Curse, Baby

2011-02-20T18:36:00.000-08:00

You know. The curse that was placed on Adam and Eve when they were thrown out of Eden when they had disobeyed. That's what Matt and I are living!

We've been trying to get grass to grow in our back yard since we moved in, 2 and a half years ago! Each year we get a little more. But still have large bald spots. We're desperately trying to get a grassy lawn for this summer. Especially since we'll have a very busy 2 year old! Not to mention a tired Momma who will be glad to be able to sit in a lawn chair and watch him run while Ephram sleeps.

Every time Matt tells me that it's frustrating or a struggle to grow the grass. I just remind him that this is part of the curse. Such an encouraging wife, huh?

Don't worry, I get a taste of it too. When I start complaining about about being uncomfortable during this pregnancy, Matt tells me what I told him, it's just part of living with the curse!

Can't have too many silkies!

2011-02-14T05:51:00.000-08:00

He says three as I'm saying two.

Quiet Time

2011-01-26T12:31:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah loves looking at and carrying around Matt's Bible. At first I was worried that he would tear it up and didn't want him playing with it. Once I thought about it, decided that wasn't a good idea. I want my children to want to read the Bible! Now we talk about what the Bible is, who gave it to us and why. He's started saying Bible, "BeBle".

I love how sweet and serious he looks.

Life

2011-01-23T04:20:00.001-08:00

Today is sanctity of human life Sunday. Fitting for the day after the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. Abortions is something that gets me fired up pretty quickly. I just don't understand why so many people believe that if you get pregnant and it was unplanned, inconvenient, from an assault or there are potentially birth defects that that baby's life no longer has value.

Psalm 139:13-16 states:
"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."

From this passage, it's clearly seen that every life is created by God . If you've ever knitted or crochet, it's especially clear. Sweet baby booties don't make themselves. Someone has to pick up their needles, pick out the yarn, and decide on a pattern - a creator. I'm a novice knitter, but am learning how much attention it takes! If I stop paying attention I end up dropping or adding stitches, or even doing the wrong stitch. Knitting is something that requires a lot of thought. How much more thought must God spend on knitting us?

In Genesis 1:27 we're told, "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Every human life has the image of God imprinted on them. Gender, race, origin, religion and age has nothing to do with it. If you are a human being, you are an image bearer of God. This is true for babies. Even babies who are inutero. They are image bearers of God. This give their life meaning and purpose.

What breaks my heart is that people would say that because the parents don't want the precious baby, it should be murdered. There are countless people who are struggling to become parents and can't. What wouldn't they give to be able to bring home that sweet "unwanted" child?

As you can tell, I believe that EVERY single life was created by God, has value because they have the image of God, and is wanted. Because of this belief, I believe every life should be protected and have the chance to live. That's why I'm prolife and am praying for the day our nation will be a prolife.

Mini-Makeover

2011-01-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

Since we're been enjoy a long weekend, Matt and I have been working on getting little things done around the house. I really wanted to work in out living room and dinning room. Make them more homey and our personality.

We've had a hutch in our dinning room (that we got for free!) since we moved in. I wasn't crazy about it, but the extra storage was great! I had painted it a light blue. Thought it would look really nice since one of the walls of the dinning room is blue. Was not the look I was going for. It ended up being really country. This weekend we painted it black. I love black spray paint! It gives any piece of furniture an updated, polished look. Our dinning room table top is a dark wood and the legs and chairs are black. The dinning room looks like it goes together now.

Next I wanted to do some sort of window treatment. I love the molding we have around the windows, but after almost three years with nothing on them, it was time for something. I love the long sheer curtains. But with having one active little boy and another one on the way, thought it was best to go with something shorter. I saw these curtains and thought we'd give them I try.
I like them a lot. But it blends in a little too much for my taste. I've looked at several stores and online but can't find anything I like. Today I had the, in my humble opinion, brilliant idea of adding an accent color ribbon.

As you can tell from the picture, I didn't have enough of the same ribbon in my craft box. You can get an idea of what I'm going for. I would use a thicker black ribbon. What are your thoughts? Any other brilliant idea out there?

Belly Update

2011-01-17T12:37:00.001-08:00

Over half way there! I'm 25 weeks today. Ephram is getting so big! He's much more active then Matt or I remember Jeremiah being. Just about every night we watch him moving. It's kind of creep and yet still incredibly cool that we can see Ephram moving inside me.

Yummy-ness

2011-01-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

I love cinnamon rolls. They're just so good! I've been wanting to try making some from scratch for some time, but always found a reason to just buy some canned ones instead. Not anymore!

I've recently become a little obsessed with The Pioneer Woman, especially her recipes. They all sound so simple and don't have ingredients that I've never heard of. Not to mention she posts mouth watering pictures of her dishes. Yesterday I came across her cinnamon rolls recipe. She has 4 different ones! And I want to try all of them, especially the chocolate chip cookie sweet rolls.

For my first attempt, I decided to keep it simple and go with the original. I was overwhelmed starting it. Freaked out when my dough didn't rise like hers did. But they turned out amazing! Now that I've made them I know to add a lot more cinnamon next time. I used the cream cheese icing instead of the maple flavored icing. So yummy! Also, I only did half of what her recipe called for and had enough for 3 or 4 pans! We like to eat a lot of cinnamon rolls, but whoa! That's a ton! I put the ones we didn't use in the freezer. Hopefully they'll turn out just as tasty next time.

Spoon

2011-01-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah is now tall enough to open drawers and pull things out. I usually don't care, except when it's in the kitchen. Never know for sure what he might find.

While I was vacuuming yesterday Jeremiah came running up to me saying "two!". He had 2 spoons. I let him play with them while I finished up. He was mainly using the vacuum as a drum. :-) Once I was done I could find only one spoon. There was no telling where he left, so I didn't worry about it.

As I was getting ready for bed I found the spoon! In my underwear drawer. Gotta say, would have NEVER looked for the spoon there.

At least he put it back in a drawer, right???

2010

2011-01-13T00:45:00.000-08:00

1. What did you do in 2010 that you had never done before?
Taught Sunday and VBS. I was scared to death that I would do something wrong, but really enjoyed it!

2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions and will you make more for next year?
Not really. Tried off and on with a few things throughout the year, like couponing, but didn't stick with any of them.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister and a good friend

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My Uncle

5. What places have you visited?
No where too exciting. Wichita, Jackson, Oklahoma City. We're kind of homebodies.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A contented spirit

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched in your memory and why?
There are two. April 28th, the day I found out I had lost a baby and August 21st, the day I found out my second son was on the way

8. What was your biggest achievement this year?
I hate vague questions like this... Hmmm... Growing in my relationship with Christ, my husband and son

9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing too major, thankfully

10. What was the best thing you bought?
You're probably going to laugh, but this is the first thing to come to mind. I got this super soft blanket that I love! I curl up under it ever evening not mater what the weather is like.

11. Where did most of your money go?
Our house

12. What song will always remind you of 2010?
The Doxology (we sing it with Jeremiah every night before bed) This Little Light of Mine (first song Jeremiah "sang")

13. What do you wish you would have done more of?
Studied God's word

14. What do you wish you would have done less of?
Worrying, fretting and stressing.

15. What was your favorite TV program?
Gray's Anatomy and Chuck

16. What was the best book you read this year?
Just for fun, Twilight Series! Don't judge. ;-) A more serious read, Prodigal God

17. What was your favorite film of the year?
Harry Potter 7!!!!

18. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
Honestly, I don't even know! Do know that I turned 25. :-)

19. What political issue stirred you the most?
I'm not very knowledgeable about politics (something I'm hoping to change this year). Something that get me every time is the disregard we, as a country show for human life.

20. Who was the best new person you met?
My nephew, Timothy.

Protected

2010-12-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

Ever had something happen and you immediately think, "thank you, Lord protecting me and my family!"? I had one of those moments yesterday.
I made Jeremiah oatmeal for breakfast and then boiled some eggs for myself. Didn't think anything of the fact I used the stove till I was making Jeremiah his afternoon snack. I grabbed a towel to dry off his highchair trey. Once I was done with it I tossed it on the stove and got back to work on the snack. I start to smell something smoking. I look and the towel had landed on a burner, THAT WAS ON and was smouldering! I grabbed it and tossed it away from the burned, turned off the stove and kept an eye on Jeremiah so that if I need to grab him and run I could. Thankfully, the towel didn't ignite and where it had started to catch fire was out within seconds. Scared the snot out of me! I'm so thankful that I caught it before it ignite. And that there were no issues from having left a gas burner on low all morning! Yesterday I caught a glimpse of how much Got protects me and my family everyday!

It's a...

2010-12-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

BOY! That' right, we're having another little boy. We are thrilled! They started the sonogram, pointed the head, belly and said "and it's a..." Matt and I both saw right. I said, "I was right!"

His sweet little feet.

Here he is, Ephram Brant.

Christmas Card Rejects

2010-12-06T12:46:00.001-08:00

17 weeks

2010-12-06T10:10:00.000-08:00

Here's my latest belly pic. It's almost two weeks old, but you get the idea. :-)

Should of been

2010-12-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

Today was our due date. I should have a new born baby in my arms, or have one any day now. Instead, I'm five days from finding out if a little boy or girl will be joining my family in May.

I'm filled with such mixed emotions. I'm sad thinking about the baby I won't know this side of Heaven. But thrilled thinking and dreaming about the child I'm carrying. I'm relieved to have gotten pregnant again so quickly. It's helping make this day easier.

While I'm so glad to be pregnant, the baby that we lost this spring is missed, loved and remembered. And always will be.

Christmas Shopping

2010-11-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas shopping has been very different this year then any other year. Mainly because I have to think about what to do with Mr. Jeremiah. He's still pretty oblivious, so I can buy his presents with him there. But it's a handful to shop with a toddler!

We went to an outlet mall to get a few gifts yesterday. As we walk into the first store he found a stick he wanted to carry around. No big deal, until I made him leave it outside. Thankfully, our first stop was a quick one. He was reunited with his stick in no time.

The next store we needed to go to was at the other end of the outlet mall. It's an out door one, so I thought walking would be fun. It was... at first. We had to stop and pick up every leaf, look at every planter and try to get into every kiddy ride. Nothing major, just taking a lot longer then I was hoping. We finally make it to the store. The boy lost it when I made him leave the stick outside. The whole time we were in the store he would cry and say "stick! side!" I hurried and grabbed the gifts I needed.

We walk outside and the stick is gone! Jeremiah was glad to be able to walk and be outside that he didn't notice. That lasted a few minutes. It wasn't enough to pick up the leaf, he wanted to sit and play with it. He just couldn't hold it together. So I picked him up and carried him. He was not pleased, crying, yelling, arching his back. We got a lot of interesting looks, a lot of sympathetic one from grandparents. We finally made it back to the car and life was good again.

I had wanted to go to one more store that was on the way home and would be a fast stop. The whole time I was driving I was going back and forth on what to do. I asked Jeremiah if he was up for one more stop. He promptly told me "No." I decided to go for it. As I was turning into the parking lot I told him it would be really fast. He answered, "No, no, no." Not in a mean way, in "please, no more Momma!". He was a super trooper in the last store and we were in and out in 10 minutes. And got shopping done for 6 people! Wohoo!

So now I only take him Christmas shopping with me if I'm going to a store that has a buggy, or just wait till Matt's home.

Blogging Machine

2010-11-26T07:02:00.001-08:00

I've been blogging like crazy this morning! Here are the links to all of the ones from today.

Happy Turkey Day

Turkey Shirt

Company

Not for the Weak of Stomach

Happy Turkey Day!

2010-11-26T06:45:00.000-08:00

Turkey Shirt

2010-11-26T06:34:00.001-08:00

Jeremiah and I made a turkey hand print shirt with some of his cousins. I'm so glad there were several other mom's there to help because Jeremiah did not want to have any part of making a shirt! I had to hold one of his arms down and the other one out so we could paint on it. Crystal held his hand open and put the paint on. She got the brown paint on and he was still trying to get away! We put that on his shirt and then let him go play. My fingers are the feathers. It was a team effort for sure, but turned out so cute!

Company

2010-11-26T06:13:00.001-08:00

Earlier this month my sister, Shannon and my mom came to visit. I hadn't seen either of them since July so it was a great time of catching up. I'm so thankful to have a family that's willing to make the effort to be a part of my life and Jeremiah's. Of course Matt's too. :-) Here are my favorite pictures of them with Jeremiah from their time here.

Shannon and I took Jeremiah to the aquarium. Checking out the Beluga whales.

Jeremiah and Mom playing peek-a-boo under the blanket.

Not for the weak of stomach

2010-11-26T06:03:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah loves to eat! He's big enough now that he can reach thing in the pantry. If I don't get him a snack when he wants one, he'll often coming running out of the kitchen with the huge box of Goldfish. He also does this with the trash can. I'll hear the lid close and then "Food! Mmmm..." Gross, I know. But that isn't even the grossest part!

Tonks, our dog, has a bad habit of throwing up when she wants to go outside. Nothing gets her in the back yard faster then her gaging.

The other night I was making dinner while Matt and Jeremiah were playing. I saw the dog by the back door but didn't think anything of it. Matt and I were talking when we hear "Food! Mmmm!" Never a good sign so Matt goes to check it out. Next thing I know he's yelling at the dog and telling Jeremiah how yucky that is. The dog had thrown up and Jeremiah was eating it!
Oh yuck! It's making me gag just thinking about it! I comfort myself by saying, "He's just building his immune system!" Oh the joys of having a little boy. :-)

Turkey Potpie

2010-11-23T08:50:00.000-08:00

I love the traditional Thanksgiving meal. The turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans and gravy on top of all of it! Yummy! I love eating it for the weeks after Thanksgiving too. Sandwiches, turkey and noddle soup, and one of my new favorites turkey potpie.

With my love for all food Thanksgiving, while my mom was here two weeks ago she made turkey for us. She told me about this delicious recipe!

I can't take credit for this beautiful picture. But I'm not going to lie, my potpie was pretty darn tasty! So with Thanksgiving a few days away, I thought ya'll might enjoy an alternative to a turkey sandwich.

One tip I'll give. Make sure you really pinch the pie crust around the dish. I did not do that well. The filling of the potpie ended up spilling out onto the bottom of the oven. I smelt something, but didn't worry about it. But it got stronger. Matt and I both looked in the kitchen to see smoke coming out of the oven. Thankfully, it was just the filling at the bottom of the oven and not the potpie! That would have been a disaster!

Christmas Card

2010-11-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of year again; time to think about family Christmas cards. Every year, I base my decision on who has the style I want at the best price. I’m going with Shutterfly this year.

I like the fun, nontraditional Christmas cards. Typically, I have an easy time picking my card because there are one or two options I like. Not with Shutterfly! After spending a few minutes looking though some of their cards, I’ve found many that I’m want to use. This year I’m going to struggle to pick one.

Here are two that I love!

If the nontraditional style isn’t your thing, don’t worry! Shutter has hundreds of other options. There are traditional, funny, and simple. Cards for one photo all the way to eight! They have over 800 Christmas cards to choose from, I’m sure you’ll be able to find the right one for your family!

While at their website, take a look at the calendars. I’ve ordered a calendar before and it turned out awesome! You pick the picture or pictures you want for the month and you can also mark birthdays and anniversaries with a picture of the person on the actual date! Makes a great gift.

They have many other gift ideas, like the mouse pad. Perfect gift for people with limited desk space.

If you’re a fellow blogger, checkout how you cab get 50 Cards for Free by blogging about Shutterfly.

5 Years...

2010-11-18T06:25:00.001-08:00

Ago today Matt and I started dating. We had come close to dating several times over the 15 months we knew each other. We would sit down and have the DTR (define the relationship) talk and always have reasons why we shouldn't date. One of the main ones was we didn't want to risk ruining our friendship. The night Matt asked me out we decided no matter what happened between us, we would always be in each other's life. I think we both had a pretty good guess as to where our relationship was headed and weren't worried about not being in each other's life. :-)

Our relationship moved pretty quickly once we were officially a couple. We had dealt with most of the big issues couples deal with even before we had started dating. So we were full steam ahead!

9 months after we started dating we were engaged. 10 months after that we were married. We would have gotten married much faster if I wasn't in my final year of college and if we lived in the same state. Good thing God's timing is perfect. 3 months after getting married we added to our family by buying a dog. 8 months after getting Tonks we bought a house. 11 months after getting the house we had Jeremiah. 10 months after having Jeremiah we found out we were pregnant again. Sadly we lost that child. But now we are expecting again!

Our relationship has been full of highs and low, joy and sorrows. but I wouldn't change any of it! Well... Most of it. :-) I'm so thankful that God, in His perfect timing, brought Matt and I both the Belhaven, ordained for us started dating, be married and start a family. God has blessed me beyond belief!

I love you, Matthew and look forward to the numerous years we'll have together!

Our first date, Christmas Formal 2005

Catch up

2010-11-07T16:17:00.002-08:00

I've been a blogger slacker lately. Shocking, I know! Here are the highlights in pictures...

Dressed up for the Fall Festival at Brenda and Ricky's church. My sweet dragon.

Pumpkin patch! Jeremiah was not impressed with the pumpkins but loves finding sticks.

Our newest cutie! This was a week ago (13 weeks). Baby's doing great! Has it's hand up by it's face, wonder if I'll have another thumb sucker.

Decorations

2010-10-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

I finally took pictures of my fall decorations. I love the wreath! I'm thinking about adding a W to the brown side to balance it out some. I combined this wreath with this one. I love how it turned out!

I wasn't sure if I wanted to cover a foam wreath or use the twig one. Jeremiah made that decision for me. I had a foam wreath in our buggy. Looked down and he was biting it! Decision made! :-)

A tip for if your making a weather like this... Cut some of your felt along the long side and some on the short side. Will give you a veriaty of sizes. And you can't use too much glue! :-) For my mantel I kept it pretty simple. I had the frame already. Put some falling scrapbook paper in it with pictures from the pumpkin patch last year. I LOVE our name on the pumpkins! Was going to paint them, but all I had was black sharpies. Worked great!
I got everything for the wreath at Hobby Lobby. I had a gift card, so didn't spent any cash. I only spent cash on the pumpkins and that was minimal. I'm so please with how everything turned out!

New pictures

2010-10-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Got the ultrasound pictures from Friday! Every time I look at these pictures, which is a lot, I'm blown away how big the baby is and how human it looks. Makes me wonder how people can't value every life, especially the life of a tiny little baby.

Baby is doing great! Strong heart beat, 167bpm. The baby was kicking it's legs like crazy during the sonogram and kept trying to grab it's legs with it's hands. So awesome to see!

18 Months

2010-10-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

It's official, Jeremiah is 18 months old today! Some days (like today) it's hard to believe, others, it's easy. :-) I haven't done a post about all the new things he's up to in a while, so let's get caught up him and then have some new pictures!

Starting to talk with multiple words/complete thoughts. He'll say things like, "It's a dog!". If he needs help he'll do his sign for help and then say please. He does the same thing with more. Such a gentlemen!
Runs, every where!
Wears size 24 month clothes
Wear size 6 shoe!
Knows what the dog, horse, cow, sheep, snake, monkey, gorilla (he beats his chest and does a Tarzan yell) and shark (na na... from Jaws) say.
Still signs but talks mostly. Thank you and help are the only words he signs but can't say
Points out every baby he sees
Will help me read books. He has some memorized, so he'll fill in what I don't read
Has 14 teeth and working on 2 more!
Sleep 12 hours a night and takes a 2 and a half hour nap
Will sit through a whole movie now
Will do some of the signs for "This Little Light of Mine", "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Open Shut Them"
Loves to play chase and tug-of-war with Tonks
Has turned into a little monkey climbing on everything!
Knows where his nose, mouth, eyes, ears, hair, head, tummy and feet are

Some time life is tough!

A good thumb makes it better

Huge eyes

Sweetest smile, EVER!

Just to get a feel for how big he is now

Great is Thy Faithfulness

2010-10-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

This morning I started bleeding and cramping. I immediately starting thinking the worst. Matt came home right a way and we headed to my OB for an ultrasound. Ricky, Matt's dad, meet us there so he could take care of Jeremiah. Such a huge help!

They took my back pretty quickly. Matt and I were prepared for the worst. But God was faithful and answered our prayer by allowing us to see our beautiful, healthy baby! Thank you, LORD! The baby is so much bigger then it was three weeks ago. Instead of little nubs there were long legs that were kicking like crazy! The baby kept reaching down to it's legs, like it was trying to grab them. We saw and heard the baby's heart beat, 167 bpm I think. I couldn't believe how much the baby's changed in such a short time! The nurse said she would send me the pictures but I haven't gotten them yet.

The lady doing the ultrasound said that the reason for the bleeding is there is some blood behind the placenta. Also, the placenta is very close to my cervix. They said I shouldn't be worried about placenta previa (where the placenta is on part or covers the cervix) because as my uterus expands the placenta will more then likely move further up in my uterus. I'm going back in a few weeks for another sonogram. Just to make sure everything is ok.

I've been singing the classic hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness all day:

Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pictures!

2010-10-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided it was time to get some new pictures of Jeremiah, of him not in his high chair. Much harder than I anticipated! The boy loves being outside! He was running around and playing. I was able to get a couple of good ones. This is my favorite.

He's playing "Night, Night!" A new game we play, a lot. He'll throw himself down and say "night, night!" pretending to be a sleep. After a minute he sets up and goes" da day! (it's day!)". Pretty cute.

I got a lot of pictures of this...

Him trying to eat leaves, sticks and rocks. He's all boy!

Bath Time

2010-10-07T09:41:00.001-07:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Belly

2010-10-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

I've been starting to notice a difference in my body and how my clothes fit. Nothing major, mainly my pants were just too tight. Last week I busted out my maternity pants. I forgot how wonderful maternity pants are!

5 Weeks

10 weeks

Not a huge change, but it's starting!

Happy Fall!

2010-09-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

I love fall. The cool weather, sleeping with windows open, yummy soup and stews, the colors, cozy sweaters and sweat pants. I'm getting into decorating for the different seasons. Spring lots of soft colors and flowers. For the summer lots of 4th of July stuff. Christmas is easy! Big, beautiful tree. Lots of green, red and lights. I have a harder time with fall.

Last year I made a wreath out of dried leaves (it's the last picture on that page). I really like it, but it's not quiet me. I came across another wreath that I love! Looks easy enough, just have to find the right fabric. Hopefully I'll be able to work on it next week. Of course I get some pumpkins and gourds. I love how goofy looking gourds are. Other than that I have a hard time coming up with ideas. I saw this. Not sure if it's too formal for my home though. But it sure is pretty and would be a nice change for my mantel.

Part of the reason I have such a hard time with decorating for fall is because I want the decorations to last from the start of fall to Thanksgiving. Plus, we're not Halloween people. We don't do trick-r-treating. That's something we might change our mind about in the future, but right now not doing Halloween is the best thing for our family. The ghosts and bats, just aren't our thing. There are some really cute ghost stuff out there. Some one in our neighborhood has a grave stone with a hand popping out of the ground in front of it and then a "body" under a sheet. Really? That's just creepy to me!

So how do you decorate for fall? Anny suggestions for me?

First Picture

2010-09-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

Thursday we had our first sonogram. Matt and I were so anxious! After having the blighted ovum in April, we knew about the "what if" because we experienced it. We just wanted to see our baby and know it was ok.

As they started the sonogram, we both almost had a heart attack! We saw my uterus no problem. We couldn't see anything in it. That's what happened with our last pregnancy. Both of us were speechless and just kept watch and waiting. We would catch a glimpses of something, we were hanging onto hope.

Then we saw it! Our sweet perfect baby! The baby looks wonderful! You can see the nubs where it's legs and arms are starting to form. The heart beat is good and strong, 175 bpm. Several people have told me that's a sign of a girl. So we shall see! I had been thinking it was a girl until I saw it. Now I'm convinced it's another boy. Matt's still convinced it's a girl. Will be fun to find out who's right in 11 weeks. :-)

The "halo" is the baby's yoke sack.

Debate

2010-09-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

I've been debating with myself on if I want to have a natural labor or get the epidural again. With Jeremiah I didn't make a decision before hand one way or the other. I started having regular contraction at 36 weeks and continued to have them till he was born. Looking back, I know that my early labor started 24 hours before Jeremiah was born. I didn't go into the hospital until about 11pm. I had worked all day and was completely wiped out. I did get the epidural. I'm so glad I did because I pushed for a solid three hours. The doctor said we were going to use suction to help me push him out. He was born in three pushes once we used the suction. I'm so thankful that the doctor decided to use the suction. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, I believe that God was protecting Jeremiah. He was blue initially and had a fever. We didn't get to hold him for 30 minutes because they were working on him.

I'm nervous to go without the epidural because I don't know if I can/want to be in labor that long. And the the thought of pushing for three hours without drugs, it's intimidating. Plus, you get drugs when having a cavity filled to make it painless. Why would I make that painless but not childbirth?

Part of me want to do it naturally just to prove I can. I know several women who have had natural labor. I have a lot of respect for them. Only two of them have said they would do it again or have done it again, one for medical reasons. Everyone else has said, "get the epidural!" Honestly, to me it seems more like bragging rights then anything else. I haven't done much research to find out all the pros and cons. If you can recommend any good books, please let me know!

With the research I have done, it comes across to me, that you fail if you have to use suction or intervene at all medically. Suction was necessary for Jeremiah to be born. I don't think there was an issue with my pushing because I pushed out his head with a contraction the doctor said one more push and he would be born so I kept pushing. I was able to get his shoulders and body out in one push without a contraction. Kind of funny because it surprised everyone in the room. The boy just had a big head. And like I said, I believe God was protecting him.

I don't think there is anything wrong if you need to intervene medically. The end goal is the same, not matter if you had an epidural, c-section or completely natural labor, a healthy baby. I'm still undecided on what I'll do. Thankfully I have over 7 months to figure it out! :-)

What's you birth story? Glad you got the epidural? Wish you had done it naturally?

Thankful Thursday!

2010-09-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

Cheesy, I know. But it's good to make yourself to find something to be thankful for!

I'm thankful for morning sickness that's lasting most of the day. It means the pregnancy is progressing normally.

I'm thankful for spontaneous hugs and "Momma!" from Jeremiah.

I'm thankful that Matt's unconditional love.

I'm thankful for Granny's chicken and dumplings. Something that tasted good and I could eat without feeling sick!

I'm thankful for leftover chicken and dumpling!

I'm thankful for living close to some of our family.

Babee

2010-09-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: This is slightly inappropriate....

We've taught Jeremiah to say baby. He'll pull up my shirt and pat my tummy and say "babee!" Baby is now interchangeable with tummy. Everyone has a baby!

Last week while changing his diaper he patted his tummy and said baby. I told him that was his tummy and only momma has a baby in her tummy. He reached a little further down patted his penis and said "BABEE!" the whole time there was a huge smile on his face. I told him no, that was his penis, while trying not too laugh too much.

Now EVERY time I change his diaper he does the same thing!

PBJ

2010-09-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah and I love peanut butter! We eat it on pretzels, apples and of course PBJ. Jeremiah doesn't just eat a PBJ sandwich, he dissects it! First he pulls the bread apart. Picks off any chunks of jelly he can grab. Does the same thing with the peanut butter side. By now the bread has holes poked all in it. Next he sucks the jelly off the bread. Finally, he'll take bites. It's hilarious to watch! He's so stickin' cute!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

An Early Flashback Friday

2010-09-02T19:01:00.001-07:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What do you say?

2010-09-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first prenatal appointment. Several people asked if this was our first. Each time I was about to answer I stumbled all over my self and then blurted out, "we have a 16 month old at home".

I didn't know what to say because of the child we loss earlier this year. I know going in that with strangers was not the answer. No need to get into all of that on them. But that loss is still fresh for me. My instinct was to tell them that it's our third. This baby is Matt and my third, but we'll only have two children... and counting. :-) Wasn't something I had thought about till I was having to deal with it.

Back to the appointment. It went well. My doctor's office is being cautious, which I'm thankful for. They did a bunch of blood work yesterday. I'm going back in tomorrow for more. We scheduled the first sonogram! YAY! It's set for the 23rd. Later then I was hoping. I know it's sooner then my office typically does, so I'm glad for that.

So far everything seems to be going well. Please keep praying for the baby and the pregnancy. Thanks!

The Pooch

2010-08-29T17:14:00.003-07:00

Warning... This is a little rant....

Not the dog kind, but the tummy kind. I was recently told that I was already starting "pooch out some". I'm not going to lie, I wasn't thrilled to hear that since I see zero change in my body. It did remind me of a pregnancy fact I had forgotten about. When you're pregnant, everyone thinks your body is public property.

Example 1: Once you start showing, people feel that they can point and stare. Sometimes in a sweet "look a pregnant lady" way. Not always though. Sometimes it's "wow! look how BIG she is!" way.

Example 2: Everyone wants to touch the belly. I love it when friends and family touch my belly and get to feel the baby move. Give them a chance to start bonding too. But when strangers try to touch my belly, not cool. I want to ask, " Excuse me, do I know you?"

Example 3: People feel they can ask you things they never would have before. The main one is about weight. How much weight have you gained? How much do you weigh now? Seriously people?

I know and need to keep in mind that a lot of that kind of stuff is people being excited. I'm glad that people are excited, even strangers. But just as a reminder to everyone, pregnant women are going through a whirlwind of changes physical, not to mention what's going on with their hormones. Stick with sweet comments like, you look wonderful! you're glowing. And instead of asking about their weight, just tell them they're all belly. Thanks from all the peggers out there!

BABY!

2010-08-28T14:24:00.001-07:00

If you hadn't heard I'm PREGNANT!!!

Found out a week ago today. We got home from the garage sale last weekend and were exhausted! After getting Jeremiah down, we were watching a movie and talking. We both talked about how we really wanted to be pregnant but had a feeling we weren't. The plan was to take a test Sunday morning, but we got too antsy. I was ready to watch and wait to see if another line would pop up. Matt told me that wouldn't help and to give it time. I left and then turn around to see him just watching and waiting!He slowly looked up at me with a completely shocked and ecstatic expression. I started freaking out! Ran and grab the test and sure enough, TWLINES!

Faint, but two!

Happy parents!

Jeremiah is super excited to be a big brother!
If I ask him where the baby is he'll pull up my shirt and pat my belly while he says "be" (baby). He'll even give it loves. So adorable, till he starts doing it to Matt. Apparently Jeremiah thinks a belly button is a baby. We'll work on that. Not bad for a 16 month old.

I'm only 4 weeks along. I go in for my first appointment next Wednesday. Won't be far enough along for a sonogram. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get one around 7 weeks. We're thrilled but a little anxious after what we went through in April. Trusting in God to do what's best for all 4 of us.

Garage Sale

2010-08-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like there's just too much stuff in your home? That's how I've been feeling lately. As I came across something we didn't need or want any more I would toss it onto the stairs leading to our bonus room. We collected so much stuff that most of the stairs had something on them. When I would get really motivated I would pick it all off the stairs. And throw it on the floor of the bonus room. There was so much stuff scattered all over the room that we couldn't use it. About a month ago I decide it was time to REALLY get motivated. Garage sale time!

I sent an e-mail out to my relatives in the area to see if they would want to have a garage sale too. Brenda, my mother-in-law was the only other crazy, I mean brave person out there. This week we started pricing and taking things to their house. I was please with how everything was going, on Monday.

By Tuesday I was freaking out! I had no idea how much thought wen into a garage sale! Dates, advertising, pricing, location and more! Originally, I thought it would be on Saturday only. Brenda said they always had better days on Friday. So I decided to do it on Friday, three days before. That added to my stress. Last night I told Matt I was really regretting the whole garage sale thing and we would never do it again!

We got to Brenda's before the start time and there was someone already there. We had a crowed of at least five people for the first 3 hours! We sold over half of everything we had. By the end of the day people were asking us if it really was a multi family sale, just because there wasn't a ton of stuff. Matt and I made more then we hoped his parents and we would make, combined! Right now I'm pretty gun-ho on garage sales!

We're in the process of updating/redoing our room. Some of the money will go to that. Mainly making a head board. Don't worry, I'll blog about that as it happens. I'm so excited!

It was a long, hot day. But so worth it! The plan is to have it again tomorrow, but it's POURING rain right now. With how well it went today, I'd be ok with not having it tomorrow. :-)

Recipes

2010-08-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share the recipes I used for my freezer cooking.

I got several of them from MoneySavingMom. Neat website with lots of ideas on how to save and earn money.

I used her Southwest Rollups. I was a littler nervous about this recipe because I've just started to enjoy beans. But I love it! Great for if you need something fast because you can just toss it in the microwave. I added a little more chicken then she does.

Also her Butterhorn Rolls. So yummy! We've enjoyed lots of these already.

The last one form MoneySavingMom is Pizza Crust. I did a quadruple batch of this. My family loves homemade pizza!

The rest of the recipes are from friends of mine. So glad I know lots of good cooks!

Taco Soup
1lb cooked ground beef or turkey
1 envelope Ranch dressing mix
1 envelope taco seasoning
1-2 cans Kidney beans
1 can corn- undrained
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
Combine all in crockpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Serve with chips, cheese and sour cream

Baked Beans
32oz baked beans - any brand
2 16oz cans Navy beans - drained
2 16oz can Kidney beans - drained
2 16oz can Garbanzo beans - drained
1 cup catsup
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbl yellow mustard
1 tbl vinegar
1 yellow onion
1/2 - 1lb
I cook the bacon and onion together. Combine all and cook for 1 hour at 350 or in crockpot on low 3-4 hours

Chicken Rice and Sausage Casserole
4 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 lb cooked sausage
5 cups chicken broth
2 envelopes Lipton noodle soup
1 cup rice
Mix all. To freeze put in ziplock bags before cooking. I was able to get two meals from one batch. To cook: cover and cook 45-60 minutes at 350. Remove cover and cook at 450 for 15 minutes, or till rice is cooked and broth evaporated.

Let me know if any of you try some of the recipes!

Nostalgic

2010-08-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today, I found out Jeremiah was on the way! I had to wake up early for work and was dying to take a pregnancy test. I calmly brushed my teeth and wait for the three minutes to tick by. I went to check, telling myself it would be negative and that would be ok. But there were two lines! Faint, but two! I ran and jumped on Matt, who was still sleeping. Took him a minute to decipher the squeals and understand that we were going to have a baby! We were thrilled! We spent the rest of the days calling and visiting family to share the news. One of the best days of my life.

It's over!

2010-08-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

I finally finished all my freezer cooking yesterday. I had to cut the meatloaf. Just wasn't happening with having to deal with the AC. Praise the Lord, that got fixed on Friday and it was very minor! Yay!

I cooked the meatballs yesterday. I forgot to set the timer. Not a good thing. When I remembered to check, they were a little crispy. Nothing that I could cut off. lol. Sounds bad, but it really wasn't! They're still really yummy, just not whole balls any more. I guess it made half-meatballs.

Freezer Cooking: Day 3

2010-08-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I was able to make banana chocolate chip muffins and four pizza dough crusts. I was so glad I was able to get that done this morning. I had my meat thawing so that during nap time I could make meatballs and meatloaf during nap time.

That was until I was getting lunch together and I noticed how hot it was in the house. When I check the thermostat, 84 degrees! At 11 am! Not a good sign. Called Matt and Jeremiah, Tonks and I loaded up had came to my in-laws where it's nice and cool.

So day 3 of cooking is on hold. After nap time we'll head home and hope it's cooled off.

Freezer Cooking: Day 2

2010-08-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

So today was the end of Day 2 of freezer cooking. Made for an interesting few days...

Day 1: we went to Kroger to load up on groceries. They were rearranging to store. Have to monomer around the workers, shelves, while trying to keep Jeremiah entertained and keep up with my list and coupons was a challenge. I think until I get a better handle on couponing Jeremiah will be staying home on grocery day. :-)

Speaking of coupons, I was able to save a surprising about of money. Just by looking for what was on sale and using some coupons. I'm going to be making the time to learn more about couponing!

The main recipe I was working on yesterday was butter horn rolls. I found one recipe and started them. Then I found another one online with information about freezing. I glanced at the ingredient and they looked the same so I switched recipes. Should of looked a little closer because the amounts of the ingredients were different and the first few steps were different. After winging it and a call to my mom, I got it! So now my freezer has lot of rolls in it. We had some with dinner tonight. Very yummy! Jeremiah loved them! Ate two of them.

Day 2: Had to do a quick run to Aldis. Had to wait till nap time to work on anything. Able to get a big batch of Chicken, Rice and Sausage casserole. Should feed us our meals. Wohoo!

Next was Taco Soup. I love this recipes because you brown ground beef or turkey, toss it in a crock pot with a few canned items, add some seasoning and you're done! My kind of recipe. My can opener died. I don't know what happened but it wasn't working, Gave me a chance to talk to my neighbor again. I could of just stopped. But nope, I went over to my neighbors that I don't know well and asked to barrow theirs. I was a women on a mission! There are now to things of taco soup in my freezer... Matt brought home a new can opener. :-)

The last recipe on my list for today was baked beans. I got an awesome recipe from a dear friend, and I'm a little addicted to them. Which it really funny since I didn't like beans till I had this recipe. I kept sneaking bites. I can't wait to dig into them! These beans are like the taco soup. Cook some bacon and onions and then trow them in the crockpot with cans of beans. I have some packaged to have as a side and one to have as a meal. When it's out meal I'll add some smoked sausage and rice. Goes from being baked beans to a nice stew.

So there an update on my freezer cooking. Tomorrow I'm making spaghetti sauce, meatballs, meatloaf and some muffins. Hopefully, I can get all of that done, then I'll be finished! I'm off to bed. The last two night I've dreamed about coupons and cooking. Here's hoping for a more restful nights sleep.

What's this????

2010-08-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

I know, an insane mess! What this mess is, is me trying to get on the ball. I'm wanting to lower my grocery bill so I'm trying to figure out the whole couponing thing. It's not easy. And completely overwhelming! I see blogs of women who spend 20 bucks a week on groceries. That's just mind boggling to me! So I'm trying to figure it out... Slowly.

I'm also going to do a freezer cooking week. I did a sample of it last month with some of our favorite meals. Got to say, I loved being able to just pull something out of the freezer in the morning and have a tasty dinner that evening. I'm going to be trying some new recipes and favorites.

After I figure out what coupons I'm going to use and finally go to the grocery store I'm going to start cooking! A few things each days as I have time. I'll try to keep the blog up to date with how I'm doing. So wish me luck!

Snack Time

2010-07-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I've posted pictures of Mr. Jeremiah. He was being so sweet sitting on the couch with me this morning. Once the camera came out, the sweetness went away. He was still sweet. Just very busy!

Lucky for me, Jeremiah is part hobbit, so we eat all day. There's breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, snack and then dinner. Sometimes another little snack before bed. Anyways, it's much easy to capture my boy when he's strapped in his highchair.

Where'd it go?

We take eat seriously around here.

Gorp (trail mix)

Yummy stuff!

His feet are huge!

Love these little hands

Sweet smile

I know it's a little blurry and over exposed, but I love this picture! Classic happy face.

Piercing blue eyes

Life is better with a full tummy

Oreo Balls

2010-07-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

If you're ever looking for an amazingly quick, easy and delicious dessert, then this is the answer you're looking for! Jeremiah and I made a batch last week for a baby shower. All you do is:

Crush 1 package of Oreos. I used a food processor, but I know people who put them in a bag and let their kids jump on them.

Mix Oreo crumbs with 1 block of soften cream cheese.

Make bite size balls out of the mixture. I put mine on a wax covered cookie sheet and in the freezer for an hour or so.

Dip the frozen balls in melted chocolate. You can get different flavors and colors of candy wafers from Hobby Lobby. The Bakers Chocolate works just as well. Let dry on wax paper. Store in the fridge.

When Jeremiah and I were making them, I had him sitting on the counter so he could push the button on the food processor. As I was putting in the Oreos, Jeremiah grabbed one and shoved it in his mouth before I could stop him! Once he knew I was going to let him eat it, he pulled the cookies apart and took his time eating it. He loved it! He kept asking me for more. :-)

Breakfast

2010-07-22T05:26:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah loves oatmeal. I can count on him to gobble it up. This morning he just wasn't feeling it. No big deal. The three of us were all in my room. Matt and I were getting ready for the day while Jeremiah played. He left and went into the kitchen. Figured he wanted his cup. I hear him going, "Mmmmm! Mmm!" Getting suspicious I go to see what he's so excited about. This is what I found.

He had pulled his bowl of oatmeal of the table, on to the chair and was chowing down! He ate the rest out of the bowl and a lot off the chair. Good thing I mopped my kitchen yesterday!

Today is off to an exciting start!

Need a luagh?

2010-07-21T04:40:00.000-07:00

There ya go!

If momma ain't happy...

2010-07-18T16:59:00.001-07:00

Ain't nobody happy! I've been thinking about that saying a lot lately. Mostly because I've seen the truth of it in my family. The days where I'm in a bad mood, I get very impatient. Not a good thing to be when you're home with a little one. Jeremiah ends up on edge and it just makes the day worse for both of us. Matt comes home to an inpatient and now frustrated wife and a little boy who's cranky. Not quiet the welcome he was expecting, I'm sure.

Yesterday was like that. Matt needed to go into work for a little bit. Not a big deal. Well, a little bit turned into four hours. I don't do well if things don't go as planned. I got my panties in a twist and let him know it. Jeremiah changed the plan by taking an hour long nap instead of the typical 3 hour nap. I got annoyed at both of them. Like it was a personal attack. When Matt got home all three of us were cranky.

There are other days that are great! I find great joy in being with Jeremiah. Building a tower over and over again for him, just so he can knock it down, singing silly songs and dancing with him just because he likes it. He's in a great mood then! I enjoy baking for my husband and surprising him with it when he get home. The evening is so much better on these days.

What makes the difference between these days? I know it's me, but what exactly? This past week I've had an epiphany. The days that were great, were the ones where I got up and read my Bible to start my day. The days when I decided to hit the snooze were the bad days. When I realized that I was blown away. You would think I would have figured it out a while a go. By me not making sure I have gotten myself focused on Christ, I end up focused on myself. Of course I'm going to be impatient with Jeremiah when he doesn't take a good nap, because I'm not able to relax and do what I want. Why would I want to serve my husband? He should be serving me! So selfish.

On the days where I did read my Bible there were still times when I could of gotten frustrated. Matt worked from before 8am till 8pm one day last week. I'm used to having him home in the evening to help with Jeremiah. When I found out he was staying late, I'm not going to lie, I wasn't a very happy wife. I could of let myself think it wasn't fair and let Matt know what I was thinking causing him to stress out even more. But what good would that have done? Matt works incredibly hard to provide for our family and enable me to stay home. How lucky am I to have a husband how's willing to make that sacrifice? By not letting myself get my panties in a twist, I was able to find a reason to be thankful- Matt.

Crazy. The same situation, polar opposite reactions on my part, and polar opposite evenings.

It's amazing the difference 15 minutes at the start of the day makes in my whole day! Let me encourage you: at some point during the day, make the time to fellowship with God alone and see the difference it makes in your day.