Tuesday, August 28, 2012

I AM SECOND

If you've never heard of the I AM SECOND movement, I'm happy to introduce you to it today.  
It is a movement to inspire people to live for God.  I think it's pretty awesome.  On the website, I found it interesting to hear the testimony from some famous people: MLB player Josh Hamilton, Super Bowl coach Tony Dungy, NFL players Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy, former Korn guitarist Brian Welch, American Idol's Jason Castro, actress Bailee Madison, UFC fighter Vitor Belfort, model Kathy Ireland, country music singer Josh Turner, NASCAR drivers, Soul Surfer & shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton, songwriter Micheal W Smith and many others.
I am taking the 22-Day Challenge and invite you to do it as well.  We all need a little  a lot more God in our lives.  He's waiting on us to seek Him.  The devil is working hard to win us over and we have to fight to be closer to God as the devil is working to keep us from God.  Challenge yourselves to be more Christ-like in all we do.   I want God to work miracles in my life.  My desire is for others to see Christ when they see me.  Pray for me as I take this challenge, and I'll be praying that someone will see this and be encouraged to make changes in their life to be more committed to God.

Update:  As I was typing this the girls were playing next to me.  About a minute after I hit the "Publish" button, I heard Bella saying "Thank you God for Mama and Daddy and Nana and Papa and Pops and Mimi and Dora and Ryeee."  I snapped my head around to see the most precious sight...her little hands were folded and her eyes were closed.  It brought tears to my eyes and proved that God is tapping on my heart...if nothing else, to show Christ to our girls.  To show them the peace and saving grace that only our Lord can provide.  (While we do pray together at night, Bella usually doesn't even close her eyes or bow her head. This is the 1st time I've ever seen her pray on her own.)  Thank you, Lord, I can feel You!



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Sunday, August 26, 2012

just plain ill.

I LOVE BELLA, BUT I HATE THAT SHE IS SICK.  She's been under the weather since Wednesday.  She's had a cough for weeks, but then a high fever hit and it went down hill from there.  I took her to the doctor, we did a chest X-ray that, thankfully showed no pneumonia, but did prove bronchitis.  So we've been doing Tylenol & breathing treatments around the clock.  The "Ill Bella" is driving me just a little crazy.  When normally I want to discipline her for things, I remind myself that she's sick...I'm know I'm less than happy when I feel bad.  For the past 4 days, she wants to watch Dora for 10 minutes, then Diego for 17 minutes, then Mickey Mouse for 6 minutes, then Tangled for 23 minutes. She's eaten 7 bites of spagettios.  I've popped 3 bags of popcorn per requested, about 6 kernels got eaten.  I've thrown brown apple slices away that never got eaten.  Looking in my trash makes me feel so sorry for starving children around the world.  I've watched Bella morph as this illness has progressed...from fiery red fevered cheeks, now to a pale face with dark circles under her eyes from the steroids.  Pitiful sick eyes.  And the whining, {oh save me Jesus from the whining}.  Nothing satisfies her for very long.

However, I do think we are on the road to recovery.  PRAISE GOD.  I'm ready to have my sweet, happy, spunky Bella back!!!
"Way down with me mama."



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Friday, August 24, 2012

Mommy Mentors

Brynn and I were talking...parenting is full of daily tough decisions.  I've only been doing it for 2 1/2 years and I'm constantly 2nd guessing decisions that I make.  Sometimes they are super simple like eating marshmallows as snacks and staying up until 9 pm instead of 8. Was I too harsh or am I letting them run all over me?  Some decisions are harder and I'm sure the really tough ones are yet to come.

I am constantly getting advice from my parents.  As a teenager, I have all these sassy opinions about my parents, it wasn't until I reached adulthood and especially parenthood that I learned to really respect them and look to them for parenting & life advice.

Let me take this opportunity to apologize to my parents for every eye roll and doubting and back talking that I did...I'm sorry...if I could take it all back I would...you didn't deserve any of that.

I look up to some mommies that have the same principles that I believe in.  Mommy Mentors, I'll call them, who are no different than me.  They learned as they went just like I'm doing.  My go-to Mommy is Dani.  She is raising 4 children and is still learning as she goes.  But the infant/toddler stage is over for her...so I get all of her secrets of success and failures that she experience.  Along with childhood asthma...Bella is sick...AGAIN.   With her new blog you can learn with her as she goes too, and she can be one of your Mommy Mentors also.

Earlier when Brynn and I were discussing things, I told her that we are just guessing as we go, praying that our guesses are right.  I'll always welcome mommy advice and want to constantly strive to be the best Mommy that I can be.  I want to be successful at parenting more than any other challenge I have or will ever face.  The thing that I try to remember is that as long as they are safe, happy and healthy then we are doing a pretty good job!

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Thursday, August 23, 2012

2 year old interviews

Yesterday morning, Bella woke up at 5:15 crying. When I went to her room to tell her it was still dark outside & it was still night-night time, she cried that she wanted to go night-night in my bed.  I let her since Jacob was just getting up to get ready for work and there would be an available warm spot right next to me.  Much to my amazement, she went back to sleep and slept until 9:30!  And much to my pleasure, I slept until 8:30, when Lulu & Rylee were knocking on the front door.  Rylee played quietly.  I saw this 2 year old interview earlier this week on The Little Princess Diaries and I was interested to see what our 2 year olds would say.  Since Rylee & I had some quiet time, I interviewed her 1st:

Rylee's 2 year old interview: (2 years 5 months)(took 5 minutes)
1. What is your favorite color? purple
2. What is your favorite toy? 2 books 
3. What is your favorite television show? Minnie, Daisy, Mickey Mouse
Rylee: What's that on your leg?
Me: prickly hairs.
Rylee: Why?
Me: because I didn't shave.  Let's move on.
4. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? biscuit 
5. What is your favorite snack? Ummm, ummm.  I don't know.  (She is crazy picky)
6. What is your favorite game to play? Upstairs (that's where Bella's room is)
7. What is your favorite animal?  I had to send this part of the video to Lulu for her to translate.
8. What is your favorite song? Princess (I don't know that song??)
9. What is your favorite book? Dora (just a random coloring book she sees on the floor)
10. Who is your best friend? I don't know. 
Me: Who do you like to play with?  Bella
11. What is your favorite thing to do outside? push my stroller
12. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? baby



*There were A LOT more distractions in Bella's interview.  Good thing I videoed all 20 minutes to get all the cute comments*
Bella's 2 year old interview: (2 years 8 months) (took 20 minutes)
1. What is your favorite color? medicine 
Me: No, What's your favorite color?  
I don't know what you're saying.  
Me: What color do you like? Blue
2. What is your favorite toy? Orange.  
Me: No, what toy do you like to play with?  
I gotta go tee-tee.  
Me: Ok.  
Rylee: Bellwa, can I go too?
Bella: yea, come on Ryeee.
~Bella on the potty~
Bella: I got to poo-poo too.  It's coming.  
Rylee:  (who is standing right in front of Bella who's on the potty)  You got to poo-poo?
Bella:Yea, I poo-pooing. Don't touch it!
Rylee: Are you done?
Bella: Nope
~Silence.............plop~
Rylee:  Are you done?
Bella: YEP!  You need to see it Ryeee?
Rylee- Yea
Bella-right here.
Rylee-Oh. Yep.  You gonna flush it Bellwa?
Bella-Yea, maybe last year.  You want to flush it Ryeee? You can flush it.  You can flush it.
Rylee-I can flush it?!?
Bella- Yea.  Bella gonna flush it last year.
~Rylee gets the honor of flushing the potty~
Bella-Bella not tee-tee in her panties.
Me: Nope, Good job!  Ok, let me ask you some more questions.
~hand sanitizer~
~2 more potty flushes just for fun~
1. What is your favorite color? On my shoes. 
Me: Ok. no, what color do you like?  my horsie. 
Me: Bella think about it, what color do you like?  That. (pointing at the floor) 
Me: What color is that? I don't know? 
(Forget it...)
2. What is your favorite toy?  balls
3. What is your favorite television show? I don't know. 
Me: what do like to watch on TV?  Mickey mouse.
4. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? yellow.  Hey look in the window!  I think it's Bobo. (Uncle Bobo and Aunt Cassi just moved across the street from us and she sees a truck.)  
Me: Yep, So what do you like to eat for breakfast?   Bananas
5. What is your favorite snack? Cheerios 
6. What is your favorite game to play?  Daddy (sweet!!)
7. What is your favorite animal? Rylee:  Oh, there it is animals!!! 
Bella: Awww, It's a wittle baby deer!
Me: Oh! Shhhh,  be very quiet, don't hit the window, don't open the door.  (as I run to grab my camera)
(moving on)
8. What is your favorite song? The Lord has made (This is the Day)
9. What is your favorite book? Dora (the same random coloring book that Rylee said)
10. Who is your best friend? Dora and Go, Diego, Go
Me: no, who do you like to play? Mommy  (huge smile on my face!)
11. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play with Rylee
12. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? this doggie (which just happened to be in her hands)




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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

New Book Collection

I recently pinned this on Pinterest and knew that I wanted to start this Christmas tradition this year.  You wrap 25 Christmas books and number them 1-25. Every evening the children get to unwrap one book and read it under the Christmas tree.  I immediately started a list of 25 Christmas books that I wanted.  I looked on-line to price how much this would set me back.  I price compared used books at Amazon and Half.com.  Half.com was cheaper. Amazon's used books are cheap, but after adding in shipping fees, they were more expensive.  I went to a 2nd and Charles used book store and got 14 used books for $69.  Ranging from $0.50-$10.48. I am happy with that!  Here's my new Christmas collection so far:








In the Christmas book search, I discovered that we were missing some really good books.  So these are some new (to us) year-round books:








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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

An unusual 'day in the life'

I really enjoy reading when other bloggers post 'A Day in the Life'.  So I figure yesterday might be a good day for me to do my 1st one!  It was an unusual day because (our home daycare lady) Mrs Betty is on vacation this week and I'm kept my 2 year old niece, Bella and Lucy.  I really enjoy days that I can keep Rylee because her & Bella usually have so much fun.  There's always a little arguing by the end of the day, so lets see how today goes....

Monday, August 20, 2012
6:15-Bella wakes up and refuses to lay down with me and go back to sleep.  Sunday, while I worked, Bella woke up early as usual and climbed in the bed with her daddy and slept until 8:30.  That has NEVER happened when he's at work.  She always "Needs to eat!!!!"  Jacob was nice enough to turn on the cartoons on in the living room in hopes that she would watch them and let me sleep a little later.  After coming in my room claiming that she "NEEDED to eat!!!", I told her she could eat goldfish (which is in her reach) and watch cartoons until I got up.  After a little whining and some stern talking, it worked!  I dosed off and on for a while!

7:30-got up.  Brush my teeth.  Use the bathroom...discover Aunt Flow made an unwelcome visit.  Tried to distract Bella while I plugged up, even though she was full of curiosity and questions.  I threw the covers to the head of the bed, so it would be somewhat made.

7:45-Made me a cup of coffee and Bella a bowl of cereal.

8:40- Met Lulu and Rylee in the driveway, because she was running late because the train near my house stopped her.  Bella squealed with excitement that Rylee was at her house today.

9:00-facebook and blog stalk as I look at all the '1st day of school' pictures.   I thought of the day that I have to send our girls to school :(  Obviously Jacob is at work doing the same thing.

9:15-lots of playing!

9:45-cup #2

9:50- Poop #1.  Thanking God we are potty trained!

10:00-talk with Brynn about the pros/cons as the dreaded moment comes closer where she has to leave her baby at a daycare & return to work from maternity leave.

11:00-These 2 are entertaining themselves!  No arguing yet!!!  Lucy is STILL sleeping.  I'm getting pinspiration and dreaming of Lucy's 1st birthday party and Bella's 3rd birthday party that will be here before I know it!  I'm also working on our New Book Collection list.  Yesterday I got 14 new books.  Some are Christmas books that I'm saving and the year-round books, I'm introducing slowly.  Yesterday I surprised her with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  Keep reading to see what new (to us) book we'll read today.

11:15-I caught the girls laying together "talking on the phone" to their daddies.  ~How precious~

11:30- I woke up Sleeping Beauty.  That's right I woke HER up!  She is such a sleepy head!

11:40- When I walked downstairs, these girls were having so much fun dancing around, I decided to turn on a little music for them.  I have a Joyful, Joyful children's christian CD that I turned up loud.
 They were jamming to "This Little Light of Mine" and "This is the Day", on and on...

12:00-Lucy wanted her bottle in her mouth, not sitting in front of her.

12:01-She's happy

12:08-finally decided to get out of my jammies and into my daytime comfie clothes...tshirt & shorts.

12:12-Snack time!  Bananas, fruit snack and goldfish.

12:25- straighten up Bella's room, so they wouldn't be tempted to get out of bed and get toys.
 12:28- Surprised them with a new (to us) book.  Guess How Much I Love You.  After reading the book together.  It didn't take them long to go to sleep.

12:35- While I was upstairs reading and putting the older 2 to bed, Lucy was downstairs crying because she did an entire loop around the house and couldn't find anyone.  Poor baby!  That called for some extra loving, rocking and kisses!

1:08- KK surprised us with a visit.  Just in time to take care of poop #2!

1:20-Lucy enjoyed a some mixed veggies, while I enjoyed some of KK's chips & salsa.

1:50-I'm still hungry. I devoured this little chicken pot pie.

 2:25-Girls are up and happy that KK is here.

2:35-Lucy is sleepy and goes back to sleep.

2:45- I make Bella a chicken pot pie, she eats 3 bites then declares that she doesn't like it.  Rylee won't eat anything offered.  I give up, they won't die of starvation.

3:35-ugh.  The arguing has begun.

3:45- We take a walk to the mailbox & hang out outside for a little bit.  Rylee refuses to come inside.  Bella cries to watch TV instead of just asking.  I'll never understand that strategy.  After she stops crying, I turn on Tangled.  She's happy.  Rylee joins her.

4:10- In my book search, I found a book that my friend has been searching for.  Melissa and her cute Sophie come over to get it and hang out a little bit.

4:30- Melissa, Sophie & KK all leave.

4:38- I'm starting dinner and Bella & Rylee want a snack.  Why does this happen EVERY TIME I start cooking?!?  Popcorn it is!

5:00-Jacob gets home.

 5:13- Lulu arrives go get Rylee.  We talk, visit, and say good-bye.

5:35-I finish cooking dinner.  Jacob cleans his plate.  Usually I don't do His & Hers dinners, but tonight I wanted to try something new.  I made hamburger steaks and gravy, wild rice and rolls for him and I tried a new recipe for chicken noodle soup.  He enjoyed his.  No surprise, I didn't really love my new recipe.  I'll just stick with Campbells.

6:00-cleaning up this mountain of a mess.

6:08- the sleeping beauty wakes up!!  That's right...a 3 1/2 hr nap, after waking her up at 11:00am!

6:12- Lucy enjoys her dinner in her daddy's arms.

6:45- The girls play as I pay bills.  It's official, we're broke until payday.  As I look over, we might be broke, but we are so rich.

7:12- watch the deer in the back yard.  Jacob saw a little baby with it's mama a few days ago, but they didn't visit us this evening.

7:30- Bath time!  I set out my clothes for tomorrow.  Not hard...navy scrubs are my ONLY option.  Is that a spot on it?!?!  Oh well, I'm wearing it tomorrow.  They are clean.  Bella played in the bath tub while I showered.  After I'm done, I bathed her and put Lucy in the tub with Bella and bathed Lucy.

7:56- 3 clean girls!

8:02- I let Bella watch one last episode of Dora.

8:21- Daddy's kisses before bed!  You can see her little teeth finally cutting through the gums in these picture.  After lots of lovin, Lucy goes to sleep for the night.  Usually she goes to bed long before 8pm, but since she slept so much today, we let her play until late.
She's an open-mouth-kisser right now!
8:28- poop #3

8:30-Bella's show is over and I make her clean up the playroom.  She picked up about 2 toys and said in her tired, whinny voice, "My tummy too hungran.  I need to eat, you clean up."  It didn't work...she still had to put her toys away.

8:42-Bella gets kisses from Daddy.  She's started blowing kisses too, it's sweet to watch her catch kisses and put them on her lips.


8:46-"Hold me mommy!"

8:50-again, usually Bella doesn't stay up this late either.  After 2 bed time stories, kisses and hugs, she went to sleep.

9:30- I looked on Facebook, a friend posted pictures from our 10 year High School Reunion a couple weekends ago.  I thought this group picture was really good!

10:25-Climbed into bed with my sweet husband. I looked on my phone for a little bit.  Set the alarm on my phone, plugged it up and called it a day.



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