Our new normal...

I've sat down at my computer several times since Sydney's arrival and have tried to blog. Each and every time I end up stopping to nurse, change a diaper, do a load of laundry, have a tea party, take a nap if both girls are sleeping, etc. It's our new normal...at least for now. :) Our days are flying by. Amelia loves Sydney and wants to help with her. She loves on her constantly. I feel like she has handled this huge change in the very best way, but I still see she has a need for one-on-one time. She asked me over the weekend if I was all better so I could carry her. Bless her heart. I want nothing more than to pick her up and carry her around the house like I do Sydney. 2 more weeks, baby...2 more weeks!! She used to get every single minute of my day...all to herself. We would play all day, have lunch dates, take a nap, run errands, and then cook dinner together. Needless to say, things have changed. So when I do have a moment to have a tea party, color, play with play-doh, or just watch a cartoon with her - I'm making it a priority to do it.



Just about every time we get in the car - I'm reminded that we're a family of four now and I'll look at Alex and say, "we have two kids!" For some reason I don't think about it when we're home - it's just when we're going somewhere. Maybe because it takes so much time and energy to get ready and go somewhere these days. :)

I have SO MANY PICTURES to post from our hospital stay, Sydney's newborn pics, pics of the girls since coming home from the hospital, etc. I'll slowly but surely get them posted. I know it will take a little more effort to blog but I want to have record of these sweet days/nights with Sydney, just like I did with Amelia. I love this newborn stage. LOVE IT. Despite being sleep deprived, it only lasts for a very short time and I enjoy every minute of it.



I can't believe Easter is in less than a week! I love Easter Sunday. Easter was the one holiday as a child that we received a new dress and can I just say - my 35 year old self still feels the need to buy a new outfit! But as an adult, it's more than just the new outfit and Easter baskets that make it such an important day. I get very emotional when I stop and think about what Jesus did for me on that cross.

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

-The Old Rugged Cross
George Bennard, 1913

I started picking things up for the girls' baskets months ago - they're hidden in the closet and ready to go for Easter morning, but I'm most excited to do the resurrection eggs with Amelia again this year. It's a great way to explain the Easter story to her. Not that she understands fully but she does ask lots of questions when we talk about Jesus dying on the cross. I have no doubt that she (and Sydney) will understand one day and my prayer is that on that very day they surrender their lives to Christ and accept His precious gift of life. ETERNAL LIFE. Praise His Name....HE IS RISEN!!

Love to all,

It's Time...

I'm 36 weeks and had a doctor's appointment today. I left with a scheduled c-section date. We'll be meeting our sweet Sydney Faith very soon! I've been on bedrest for 30 days this week and have made it one week longer than I did with Amelia. They did an ultrasound to make sure Sydney is ready. As far as we can tell - she is. They can't guarantee she won't need to be in the NICU but they believe if she does, her time there will be very short. Ultrasound actually shows her to be 6 lbs - 4 ounces, so it will be interesting to see how accurate it is. My doctor stopped and gave me a hug as I was leaving today. He said, "I'm going to miss you." I about started crying. He is such a kind, Godly man. He has been so careful to not let my preeclampsia get to the point that it did with Amelia. He has prayed with me through this entire pregnancy (and especially over the last month) and I'm so thankful he's my doctor.

Though I would have loved to have been able to go to church, work on Sydney's room, do special things with Amelia, or just able to "nest" over the past month - this was God's plan for me. Bedrest. I've had so many breakdown moments and even at one point said aloud, "I hate this!!!" But I must say, I'm beyond thankful for the family and friends that have helped us through this. We've had meals brought to us for a full month. I've had blog friends sending "care packages" in the mail filled with things for Amelia and I to do while on bedrest. We had friends out of state that mailed us a gift card to have dinner since they couldn't be here to cook us a meal. Family that has watched Amelia for my many doctor's appointments. Such thoughtfulness. So even though I had moments of being overwhelmed and just tired of this...I've had even more moments of thankfulness. Thankful for the people we share life with - they've loved us well over the past 30 days.

So it's time!! The next post you see from me will be announcing our baby girl's arrival! I appreciate all of you that have been praying for Sydney and me. Means more than you'll ever know.

Love to all,

34 Weeks...

Well I'm still on bed rest and trying to make the best of it. One day I'm ok - the next day I'm so over it. :) I'm blessed to have people who remind me that this is only for a short time and I know it's what's best for me and Sydney. Even though the thought of being on bed rest for 5 more weeks makes me think I might go crazy. My doctor encouraged me to just take one day at a time and to focus on the prize at the end. Our sweet Sydney.

I am beyond impressed with my husband and his ability to go on less sleep (he didn't get a whole lot before this), to run to the store bi-weekly, to run get whatever I'm craving at the moment, to take Amelia to the doctor by himself, to keep the dishwasher loaded/unloaded, to keep the house picked up, to care for Amelia in every way. All the while going to work early (some days at 4am!) so he can work from home from 2-5 for the rest of the day. He is amazing.

I'm also impressed with my little toddler. I couldn't ask for a better child to go through this with. She plays on her own so well and will play in the same room (wherever I am) for the longest time. I'm pulling out little surprises for her each day that I hope make this a little easier for her. It's hard not being able to be up and down, playing with her like I usually do. She's constantly saying, "Mommy, I take care of you" and will bring me a delicious meal that she whipped up in her little kitchen. Melt my heart.

So while this is a hard time...it's also a special time...a happy time. My devotional continues to be exactly what I need each day. Reminding me to be thankful in all circumstances. A few days ago my devotional read, "thank me for the conditions that are requiring you to be still."

It made me smile.

God is good.

Love to all,

Random Thoughts While On Bed Rest...

I have lots of things going on in my head these days. That's what being on bed rest will do to you. Thinking. Lots of thinking. So here are some random thoughts for this Monday morning.

1. I woke up with lips twice the size of what they were last night.

2. My face is three times the size it was last night.

3. I wore my hair down today - in an effort to cover the ever growing lips and face.

4. It didn't work. My nurse mentioned the "puffy face" upon sitting down in her office.

5. I feel like a free woman when I get to leave for doctor's appointments twice a week. Since I've been put on house arrest.

I mean bed rest.

6. After stepping off the scale today, I asked my doctor if it was ok to take diet pills while pregnant.

He said that's the easiest question he has been asked in quite some time.

7. No diet pills for me.

8. I looked at our bank account today. I blushed with embarrassment on how much $ we've given Shake's Custard in the last two weeks. Their strawberry shakes are to die for and I've been craving them. A lot. My marriage almost ended over a strawberry shake while I was in the hospital a week ago. Long story. All I can say about it is...bless my husband's heart. Can you say HORMONAL??

9. I wonder why I've been gaining so much weight lately?

Such a mystery.

10. This is the second week that friends and family have been bringing meals to us. I haven't cooked a meal since I was put on bed rest. Every day a meal is dropped off and I close the door and want to cry. We are blessed to have so many people who love us and want to serve/bless us in this way - when we need it the most.

11. I went to Target right after my doctor's appointment today and bought hand soap and dish soap. We've only had one bottle of hand soap in the house for a couple of days and I've been carrying it from bathroom to bathroom or to the kitchen to wash my hands. I was only at Target for 5 minutes but it was so much fun.

12. I miss Target.

13. #11 was more of a confession.

14. Dr. S, if you read my blog...I'm sorry I broke the rules and went to Target.

15. My baby girl is up from her nap now...time to move from the bed to the couch.

Love to all,

A Time To Rest...

Just as soon as I make plans - something happens that throws them out of whack.

Few things about me:
I'm a planner.
I love lists.
I love to check things off a list.
I love to plan a party.
I love for parties to go as planned.

God started showing me a few year ago that I was so wrapped up in planning the party and stressing about things going as planned that I was unable to actually ENJOY THE PARTY. Not something I enjoyed hearing but it was SO TRUE.

I didn't want to be a Martha - all up in the kitchen, frazzled about the details and unable to enjoy my company.

I wanted to be a Mary - sitting down to enjoy the ones I took time to invite into my home in the first place.

Allowing God to change my heart in this area changed everything. It's not that what Martha was doing was unimportant - I believe she had a servant's heart - she just lost focus of what was MORE IMPORTANT. She let worry and anxiety about everything being "just right" for Jesus and His disciples distract her. And Jesus called her out on it.

I guess you could say Jesus called me out on it too...through my husband's wise counsel. :)

Few more things about me:
I have the gift of hospitality.
I love to cook a good meal for someone.
I love to make it special in some way.
I enjoy serving others in that way.
A fun party to me is in the smallest details - that's my way of making it special for those who attend.

I've been wanting to spend special time with Amelia before Sydney arrives. I'm so excited for her to be a big sister and yet I have this need to soak up our last few weeks of her being an only child. I want to make the most of every minute - right down to forgetting the laundry for a bit and doing simple things like coloring together.

One of the things we've been so excited about is her Valentine party. We picked everything out together. She even picked out a lot of things on her own. I've laughed at the things she says she needs at the party. She has talked about this party for months. She knows every single guest that received an invite and talks about them every day. I love to hear her say, "is today my balentine party?"

One day she'll pronounce her V's and talk like the rest of us...I see no need to correct her...it's too cute hearing her talk right now.

We were running errands yesterday morning (for the Valentine party) and I started having some major abdominal pain. The pain brought me to tears and lasted for a few hours. I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon and they ended up checking me into L&D to run more tests for preeclampsia. They made me stay the night.

Couple of things about today:
Amelia's Valentine party was today.
We had to reschedule it.
Party didn't go as planned.

Old Martha made an appearance and I had a mini-meltdown.
I got distracted and started getting anxious...worrying about the details.

Worrying that Sydney would arrive before she was ready. Worrying Amelia would be heartbroken and think I'm a liar because this is the 2nd party in her short life that we've talked about for months and didn't go as planned.

I was sent home this afternoon and I'm officially on bed rest until Sydney arrives. We started steroids to prepare and we're praying my body will cooperate so Sydney can stay put for a couple more weeks.

After a little minute (or 24 hours) I realized:
It doesn't matter that Amelia's Valentine party will take place three days after Valentine's Day. She just wants to eat cake and have friends over to play.

I also realized:
My sweet Sydney is God's child, not my own. He will take the very best care of her.

How many times over will I have to learn that lesson? I can't even tell you how many times He has reminded me of this.

Not knowing exactly what my body is going to do can be terribly frustrating.
Not being able to care for my husband & daughter in every way makes me sad.
Not being able to cook for my family is something I already miss.
Not being able to wash my own laundry is terribly humbling.
Not being able to go to the store to run a quick errand is a bummer.

But I'm choosing to give my worries/anxiety to God. Because all worry/anxiety does is take my focus off Him and I start trying to handle it all on my own.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7

After my reading this afternoon, I also realized I must find ways to be thankful during this time.

Something I'm thankful for today:
I'm thankful that I'm not having to spend these next several weeks in the hospital (which my doctor will totally do if I don't cooperate) and can rest at home with Amelia.

He requires one thing of me...to simply surrender it all to Him...to make Him the center of my every day life...to surrender my worries/anxiety to Him on a daily basis.

“My strength is not found in how intensely I struggle...but in how completely I surrender.” -Ken Gire in Intense Moments with the Savior-

I WILL FIND JOY in this time of rest.

Love to all,

She chose HIM over ME...

So there was a big football game on last night. We watched the Super Bowl from home. Alex watched all of it. I watched between doing laundry, picking up dinner, stuff like that.

I really just wanted to see the commercials. There were a few funny ones and a couple that almost made me cry!

What can I say...I'm pregnant...I cry a lot.

Amelia wasn't that into the Super Bowl. She played and watched Caillou on the ipad.



She WAS into the dessert I made though. My friend, Susy, posted a picture of brownies right before the game and I immediately had a craving for them. We topped our hot Ghirardelli brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries. SO YUMMY.



So like I said earlier...I'm pregnant...I cry a lot.

And my 2 year old totally made me cry last night.

I was leaving to pick up the pizza for dinner and asked her to come with me. She immediately responded, "no, I don't want to go, I want to stay with my Daddy."

I was like, "what?"

So I asked her again, assuming she didn't understand my question.

She responded, "no, I want to stay here with my Daddy."

I proceeded to ask her 20 more times and she made it quite clear that she didn't want to go. Alex tried to make me feel better by saying, "it's okay, she does that to me all the time."

I was like, "exactly, she does this to YOU...she always chooses ME."

I left with tears in my eyes. It was like she took her tiny, toddler hand and slapped me in the face.

Alex quickly sent me a text that she was asking for me as soon as I left and he also sent me a video of her saying, "I want my Mommy."

Not sure how many M&M's it took to make her say it - but it made me feel better. :)



And I just have to share what I walked in on her doing last night.

Me: "Whatcha doing Amelia?"

Amelia: "I cookin' my baby."

I explained that we don't cook our babies and asked her to remove it from the microwave immediately, but not before taking a picture. All while trying to keep a straight face. I left the room laughing so hard.

Looks like we'll be starting therapy a little sooner than I thought.

Crazy kid.



She totally made up for making me cry this morning though. While watching Super Why she reached over to hold my hand.

Melt my heart.

I love her so much.

Happy Monday!

Love to all,

A Week Away...

Alex went on a business trip and has been gone for 9 days/8 nights. I can't remember the last time he had to be away for that long but I can tell you that none of us are a fan of Daddy being out of town. Alex helps with Amelia A LOT when he's home. He enjoys spending time with her and knows these days of her being little will pass quickly. He plays with her as soon as he gets home, gives her a bath, reads her stories, and gets her to sleep every single night. He's a hands-on-Daddy...a wonderful Daddy...we've missed him so much.

I'm reaching week 32 in this pregnancy and I've been really tired. Giving Amelia a bath with this growing belly of mine seems like a workout. So we packed up and went to my parent's for a week! It was so nice to have the help and Amelia enjoyed spending time with her Papa and Granny.

We skyped with Daddy several times and that made it easier being away from him for so long. Amelia wanted to do nothing but kiss the screen of the computer the entire time and would ask Alex to give her kisses.

My brother and his family live about an hour away from my parents, so we drove to Missouri to take my little bro to lunch for his birthday while we were there.



We ate at Lambert's. This is where they throw the hot rolls across the restaurant for you to catch and serve your tea in the largest container known to man.

Yet I still needed a refill.

Pregnancy makes me thirsty.



And y'all...let's just get it out of the way and talk about it...the pregnancy face has arrived. Every morning I wake up and think "my face is even bigger than yesterday!" It's just part of it for me...I always gain weight in my face. Unfortunately, there's just not a flattering angle anymore. Trust me - I've tried every angle - it's still large no matter if my chin is down and my head is tilted to the left. I've come a long way in the vanity department though - because I wouldn't have even posted this picture when I was pregnant with Amelia. I still have my skinny ankles though so I'm not complaining. HAHA!

After eating at Lambert's, we headed back to my brother's home to have cake and ice cream. I brought him a big 'ole cookie cake and my SIL made homemade snickers bars...they were YUMMY.





Amelia doesn't get to see Jackson and Millie very often - they played up a storm.



Millie's room truly looked as though a tornado hit it by the time we left.

On Sunday we went to my parent's church. I bought Amelia this little hat and was going to let her wear it Sunday evening, but she insisted on wearing it on Sunday morning. Girl LOVES a hat on her head. It doesn't even have to be cute...she just likes to wear hats.



I was so excited to hear my Daddy's message because it has been such a long time since I've been able to sit under his preaching. Just FYI - my Daddy can preach - he preaches straight from the Word (Old & New Testament) and I so appreciate that. I never realized just how blessed I was to have my Dad as my pastor for so many years...I took it for granted. I hope as they get older, Amelia and Sydney will realize just how blessed they are to have Alex as their pastor. Daddy's message was on "the tongue." What a convicting message. So much power in such a small member of the body. If I'm going to speak - I want to speak life and encourage those around me. There's power in our words, y'all.

They had their annual men's chili cook-off after church. And what do you know...my Daddy won this year!! Here he is holding the golden chili pot and golden chili spoon. (LOL!) He was so proud of himself. This was his fourth year to enter but first time to win. We'll never hear the end of it now. :)



Amelia went to Awanas on Sunday night. She cried at first (when I took her to her class) but was dancing in front of the entire Awanas group by end of the night!



We made a trip to the mall while there...she always remembers the ice cream cone truck and wants to take a ride.



She was allowed to stay up past her bedtime every night and do fun things like have a dance party at 10:30PM. Only at Papa and Granny's! :)



She read books and watched some of her favorite shows.



And thankfully, all but one night, she slept really well. My Mama bought these little cots for the grand kids to sleep on when they visit. This was Amelia's first time to sleep on one. I put it right beside my bed and she slept until at least 9AM almost every morning. I cannot sleep with girlfriend in my bed. She's practically laying on top of me by morning and that = zero sleep for this Mama.

She took a good nap for me on the way home and now we're just waiting for Daddy to get home. He should arrive home around 9PM this evening!! I can't wait to hug his neck.



Thank you to Papa & Granny for your help this past week!!

Love to all,

The Voice...

I'm a stay-at-home Mom and I love it. I'm thankful God has allowed me to be home with our children. I know this is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing and there's peace in that, but one of the things I've been struggling with over the past few months is this little voice in my head. It's saying things like: "Am I doing enough with Amelia?" "Is she bored??" "She needs to be around other children on a regular basis." "Should I put her in MDO??" "What about Little Gym??" "Art classes would be good!!"

Bless Alex's heart, I'm sure he's tired of me talking about these things and he has been so patient with me as I have prayed and talked and talked and prayed and finally realized what God has been trying to tell me in all of this.

I'm a homebody and really enjoy just being here at the house with Amelia. We can go a full week without going anywhere. That's why a tank of gas will last over 2 weeks in my car. I have zero desire to fill up a calendar with social events for my 2 year old. I'm not huge on regular play dates, not that there's anything wrong with them, I just don't like to commit to being at play dates twice a week or even once a week. We have commitments to our church twice a week and she gets to play with other children at that time, but "the voice" came to a point of really getting on my nerves and I needed to take care of it.

I've looked into taking her to The Little Gym or to art classes or to ballet and everything I've looked into tells me she's too young. Three years old seems to be the age all that starts. Little Gym takes younger kiddos but the parent has to be right there and able to run and chase them.

I'm 8 weeks from having a baby - no one wants to see me chasing after my toddler right now.

After reading THIS BLOG, which has been such a blessing to me as a pastor's wife, I realized that there's nothing wrong with spending more time at home. There's nothing wrong with my child not being involved in numerous activities outside of the home. There's nothing wrong with just being still. Being quiet.

God's Word actually encourages it.

I say to Amelia a lot, "be still." I say this because I'm trying to get her to be still long enough for me to speak to her and her actually hear what I'm saying.

I've always said that I have my most meaningful conversations with my Heavenly Father when I'm in the car or in the shower...times that I have to be still. Those quiet moments where Dora the Explorer isn't in the background...Amelia isn't saying, "Mommy, I want jello!"...my phone isn't ringing...my computer isn't in front of my face...and on and on and on.

It's so easy to look at others and feel like I'm not doing enough with my child. I'm not keeping her busy enough. Truth is, I don't want to keep her busy for the sake of saying our calendar is full, or to give myself a certain amount of "free-time" every day. She really needs time with me and her Daddy more than anyone else right now. The next 16-18 years are some important ones and though I do hope to see my little girls in a sweet tutu and ballet shoes someday, bi-weekly play dates, ballet classes, and mothers-day-out are not what will shape my children into what I pray they will be one day.

Young women who can be still.
Young women who can be quiet.
Young women who can hear God and truly KNOW WHO HE IS.
Young women who could care less what the world says is important.
Young women who are sold out for Jesus and make others want what they have in HIM.

That's what I pray over Amelia and Sydney.

And it's my and Alex's job to teach them these things - no one else's.

I have a hard enough time hearing others and being attentive in my relationships above all the noise that every day life brings. I sure can't hear my Heavenly Father if I'm always on the go. If I'm never in His Word. If I'm never still/quiet enough to know exactly what He's telling me to do - telling me what not to do - telling me what to say - telling me what NOT to say.

I love where she says:
"Religion has accepted the monstrous heresy that noise, size, activity, and bluster make a man dear to God. But we may take heart. To a people caught in the tempest of the last great conflict God says, “Be still and know that I am God,” and still He says it, as if He means to tell us that our strength and safety lie not in noise but in silence."

"Life is in the silence because God is there. If we will just listen."

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
-John 16:6

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
-Psalm 46:10

I don't ever want to get to a point of constant wishing for more hours in a day because I've filled mine to the max. God knew exactly how many hours I need in my day to accomplish what truly needs to be accomplished.

I'm thankful to say...the voice is gone.

Love to all,

A New Look & A New Recipe...

My sweet friend, Faith, gave my blog a face lift and I love it! If you're interested in a new blog look for the New Year - click on her button on my sidebar. She's the best!

I tried a couple of new recipes over the weekend - both from Evil Shenanigans. I made the Soft Taco Stack for Alex on Saturday evening and he really liked it. The only thing I added was chopped jalapeno (the kind out of the jar) to give it a little more heat. I loved this recipe because it's for 4-6 people, so we can have leftovers for lunch/dinner the next day if we want. I'll be adding this to our regular menu!

The other one I tried was the Big Evil Cheeseburgers. My parents came into town, so I made these for them last night. They were ok. It was a cheeseburger. Nothing too special about it. I wasn't crazy about the special sauce that went on them. To be honest - I probably won't make these again - I'll just stick to making our usual cheeseburgers. This isn't to say you shouldn't try them - I just won't be adding them to our regular menu.

My parents are here for a couple of days - which I love! I'm pretty tired these days so it's nice to have help. I know it's silly but something as simple as cleaning the kitchen makes me feel so spoiled. Mama also helped me clean out Sydney's closet and room - it's not near as overwhelming to me now. Parents are the best. Amelia loves having them here too. She loves company and thinks everyone is here to see her. :) She also loves her Granny's reading glasses. She wants to wear them all the time. I'm hoping she doesn't need to wear glasses when she's older because she wore reading glasses too much as a small child. (HA!)



Love to all,

Date Night At Home...

When sitting down to discuss our goals for the New Year, Alex and I wanted to make sure we did a better job of having date nights. We had that on our goals for last year and sadly, it just didn't happen as often as we would have liked. We promised that this year we would have a date night at least once a month. You wouldn't think that would be very hard but when you have small kiddos - it's harder than you would think. I don't know why but I hate asking people to babysit...I feel like it's a lot to ask. I take Amelia to all of my doctor's appointments so I don't have to ask for a babysitter. There will definitely be times this year that I ask someone to babysit so we can get out of the house, but we both agreed that date nights at home would be fun too. So after putting Amelia to bed last night, we had dessert and a movie!



I wanted to fix a meal that would be special for Alex since it was date night and all. I made buffalo chicken tacos. He LOVES buffalo wings so I knew he would love this. I found the recipe HERE. They were very tasty and easy to make! The only thing I did differently was salt the chicken as I was frying it - the recipe didn't call for any salt and needed it in my opinion. I'll be adding these to our menu calendar for sure. I'm excited to try some other recipes from this site as well.



I also made Pioneer Woman's flat apple pie. We watched her make this pie on her show last Saturday. Alex mentioned that it looked SO GOOD and that it wouldn't hurt his feelings if I decided to try that recipe out...or something subtle like that. I usually make a no-sugar added apple pie and let me tell you - this is most definitely NOT sugar free. I didn't have shortening for the crust so I made it with butter. So that = almost 3 sticks of butter in this pie. It was AMAZING. I don't know if I'll ever buy a pre-made crust again. Or make no-sugar added apple pie ever again.

Or be my pre-pregnancy size ever again.

It was nice to put the computers/phones away and just spend time together. Even if it was in our living room and not a fancy restaurant and movie theatre. I just need time with my sweet man.

Love to all,

Meal Planning, Recipes, Etc.

One of the things on my list of goals for the New Year is to meal plan and cook at home more than I did last year. I'm happy to say that I sat down and planned two weeks worth of meals while Amelia was napping and then went on the longest grocery shopping trip of my life.

That last part about the grocery store wasn't the happy part.

Thanks to my sis, Joy, for watching Amelia! I'm not sure she would have enjoyed sitting in the grocery cart for that long and it made it a lot easier on me. Joy gave me a notepad that's made for meal planning - it even has a place for your grocery list off to the side that you can tear off and take with you. Except I used a notepad because my grocery list was 5 pages long.



Don't judge the lack of nutrition on my calendar for this week.

Maybe that will be a goal for next year.

Plan more nutritious meals.

Or maybe not.

I make cinnamon rolls every Saturday morning and we have donuts every Sunday at church. I see no reason to change tradition.

One area I would like to change is lunch/dinner for Amelia. Girlfriend is quite picky these days. I need some more ideas on getting her to eat different veggies. She likes green beans. Sometimes she'll eat raw carrots. She loves tomatoes. And that's about it.

It was so much easier when I could just feed her baby food. :)



See this happy girl in the picture? Remember how I told you she was doing so well in her big girl bed? Well she's still doing well - she sleeps all night - BUT she has started realizing that big girl bed = I can get up whenever I want. And she wants to get up at 6am! Or sometimes 3am, in the middle of the night, just to come in and take her Daddy's hand to say hello in a soft (semi-creepy) voice. She walked into our room this morning at 6am and said (in the loudest voice possible) "Mommy, have you seen my rabbit!??? I need my rabbit!!!"

I jokingly told Alex that if she's going to wake me up that early, the least she can do is learn to make a cup of coffee (we have a Keurig - it wouldn't be that hard) and bring it to my bedside.

And greet me with a softer tone. That would be nice.

I can just tell she needs more sleep than what's she's getting. She has always been all smiles in the morning and now she's waking up a cranky-britches. We just can't have that. I'm having to sing Psalm 118:24 to her several times a day - so things obviously have to change. I'm so thankful my parents sang scripture verses to me. They're coming in quite handy now that I'm a parent.

So we're still in the transition stage of the big girl bed and I'm so glad we started this process early. Way before Sydney arrives.

I was going to make strawberry muffins this morning but Amelia's mood called for something extra special, so I made applesauce puffs. These things are so easy to make and aren't too bad for you - until you dip them in melted butter and cinnamon sugar.



Look at the joy on her face. Can you say, "early nap time is a comin'?"



I'm trying out some new recipes over the next few weeks. Last night was the Queso Chicken Pasta from Evil Shenanigans. It was DELICIOUS. I think next time I'll make half with chicken (for Alex) and I'll just have the pasta with sauce. The sauce was amazing. I'll also use two jalapenos next time instead of just one. You should definitely try this recipe!

Love to all,

New Year's Goals & Hopes...

Alex and I sat down and discussed our goals as a family and individually over the weekend. We went over our goals for 2011 and realized we met 50% of them...not too shabby! :) I'm really excited about a few of the goals we've set this year. I thought I would share a few of my personal goals for 2012.

1. Read through my Bible. I've tried this before and seem to get behind at some point and then fail to try to catch up. Not this year!

2. Stay in a devotional all year. I'm currently reading Jesus Calling. It's perfect for the season I find myself in as a Mama to a toddler and soon to be Mama to a newborn. Hours of "homework" in a Bible study just isn't realistic for me right now. I just desperately need that one-on-one time with Jesus in my day. That may be while sitting and reading my Bible/devotional. It may be while loading the dishwasher or folding towels. It may be while feeding Sydney at 1am. My heart just desires to have that time with Him and this year I'm not putting it on the back burner because I'm too busy or because I'm behind in my reading. I'm keeping it on the forefront of my mind at all times.

3. Make special time with Alex each evening. It's amazing how fast our evenings fly by. Once Alex gets home from work: we have dinner, he spends one-on-one time with Amelia, bath time for Amelia, read/pray/rock Amelia to sleep. By this time, we're both tired and ready for bed. I've realized it doesn't have to be a date night (though we're going to do better about having those once a month this year), it doesn't even have to be an hour together. It can simply be lying on the couch, talking about our day for as long as we can stay awake. :) It's just important that we stay connected on every level - it's what makes our marriage a happy, healthy marriage.

4. Record sweet memories in my Mom's One Line A Day journal. It's so easy to forget the cute/funny/sweet/silly/precious things that Amelia says each day. And these days it's EVERY DAY that she makes me laugh for some reason or another. She says the funniest things.

5. Respond to Amelia with soft speech. I actually started making a conscious effort last year to respond to Amelia softly. I would watch 19 Kids & Counting and was constantly amazed at how Michelle Duggar responded to her children. Always with a soft, loving, calm voice. I don't yell at Amelia but her delayed obedience (which is direct disobedience in our home) would bring me to a point of raising my voice and I didn't like that.

The Bible speaks quite a bit about our tongue/speech, so it's obviously important:

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." Proverbs 18:21

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29

"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
Proverbs 15:1

"A gentle tongue is a tree of life..." Proverbs 15:4

I always want to stay calm with her and I can honestly say her response to soft speech vs. raised voice is like NIGHT & DAY. It has become natural for me to respond to her in that way now and I like that. I also want her to respond to us and others with soft speech and she will only do that if we teach her through our actions.

6. Have more friends into our home. I didn't do a great job with this last year and I'm not sure why. I know this year will be crazy with having a newborn but as long as my friends/family don't care to come over to a dusty house - I still want to entertain on some level. Sharing a meal with someone in your home is where true friendships/relationships begin.

7. Do at least one fun project with Amelia each week. She needs this - especially after Sydney arrives. It can be the most simple thing in the world - she could care less. She just needs that one-on-one time and I plan on making it a priority.

8. Cook at least 4 times a week. Now this may mean sandwiches and soup some nights but I live with the least picky man in the world. In the way of - he will eat the same thing every night if that's what I choose to fix. He doesn't have to have a four course meal every night - he just needs me to take care of him in the way of planning/fixing our meals. He's good to me and always takes us out to eat on the weekends. I'm thankful for that break and the least I can do is cook the rest of the week.

9. Show love/encouragement in some way to someone every day. I have lots of friends/family that are all going through different things in their lives. I want to love on them whenever possible.

10. Stick with the budget. I'm excited to say we're going to the cash system in 2012! I think this will be great for our family and allow us to save more than ever before. I want to be the best steward of the money God has given us and I truly believe this is going to be GREAT for our family. I just have to be diligent in sticking with it.

11. Watch less television. I made a point to start this last year and also made a point to cut out any "reality" television that was on my DVR. God just kept convicting me of what I was allowing in my mind and home. I have a little girl that watches everything I do. I want to set the best example possible for her and I had no business allowing that junk/attitudes/drama/language into our home.

12. Give more. We give our tithe and to charities but I don't just want to give more in the area of money, I want to give more of my time and attention as well.

I was reading Passionate Homemaking which led me over to girltalk where Nicole was talking about New Year's Resolutions: things we want to change. She also talked about New Year's Hopes: things we can't change but are hoping and praying that God will allow to happen in the New Year. I encourage you to go read, especially if you have some New Year's Hopes of your own...a baby, a husband, a new home...you'll be encouraged and blessed...go read. :)

Love to all,

As For Me And My House...

I started my One Year Chronological Bible on January 1st. I'm determined to read my Bible the entire way through this year. Alex reads through his at least once (if not twice) a year. The man reads way faster than me. I also started a book called Jesus Calling - it's a short devotional for each day. Joy bought me this for Christmas and I LOVE IT. If you don't have it - I highly recommend it. Or if you do have it - buy it for some of your friends and family. What a great gift idea!



Another thing we're doing in the new year is teaching Amelia scripture. She's at an age where she soaks everything up and remembers EVERYTHING. If she can remember the words to "Jesus Loves Me" - she can definitely memorize Bible verses. I want to make it fun for her, so I put little motions with it which helps her remember. Her Aunt Sara made her an ABC scripture book for her birthday - there's a verse for every letter in the alphabet - cutest idea. We've been working with her for five days and she has already memorized her first scripture verse! Our goal will be to make it to the letter Z by the end of the year. If you're interested in printing a set of ABC scripture cards for your little one - you can find them at www.icanteachmychild.com No better gift you can give your child than the gift of God's Word.

"So love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning." -Deuteronomy 6:5-7



Here's her first scripture verse.

Brought to you by the letter "A"

"...As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15



"How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." -Psalm 119:9-11

Love to all,

Happy New Year!

We brought in the New Year watching "While You Were Sleeping", "The Santa Clause", and "Caillou." We also ate, played on the ipad, napped, and ate some more.

All while wearing a tutu.



Around 11:00, we went ahead and toasted the New Year with our non-alcoholic sparkling peach beverage. Amelia didn't make it much later than 11:15, Alex went to bed around 11:30, and I watched the ball drop at midnight.



I'm not big on resolutions but Alex and I are big on goals. We sit down together at the beginning of the New Year and list our goals as a family. I went over our goals from last year and there were several we reached - several we did not. I'm sure several of the 2011 goals will end up on the 2012 list as well.

I'm always excited for a new year and this year is no different.

I'm excited to meet our new baby girl in March 2012 - not very far away.

I'm excited to clean/organize house to prepare for her arrival.

I've been praying about my goals for the new year. I know life will be busy with a new baby but I want Him to be my focus in 2012, even with a new little one who will need much of my attention and time.

He has already laid a couple of people on my heart that I know I'm supposed to reach out to...show them His love every chance I can get. I find it so easy to get caught up in my wants, my needs, me-time, me, me, me. We're naturally self-absorbed, but living for self goes against everything His Word teaches. I don't just want to talk about wanting to spend more time in His Word or wanting to live a life that honors Him. I want to HAVE it and LIVE it daily. I have a vital role in how much I grow in the Lord...that's all on me...no one else.

My brother-in-law preached his father's funeral last week and part of what he spoke on was dying to self.

Dying to self leads to LIFE...an abundant life.

I want the first thing on my mind to be someone else other than myself when I wake up in the mornings. What can I do for someone else today?

Many days it will simply be what I can do for my husband and daughter. Just putting my own wants/desires aside and putting them first. As much as I love Alex and Amelia, some days are easier to do that than others. Usually the days that I'm really tired are the days that it's hard.

This season of life that I'm in brings a larger size than I care to wear, dark circles under my eyes, unmanicured nails, untweezed eyebrows, super-sized amounts of coffee to function, and when Sydney arrives - very little sleep. But this I know...I can still reflect Jesus to my family and those around me during this season. It's not always easy but it's what pleases Him.

To live the life of Christ and not my own...that will be my #1 goal.

Wishing you a blessed New Year!



Love to all,

Happy Tay-Tay...

Today was my 35th birthday. I celebrated with my two loves and had the best day. We started the day with brunch at Mimi's, our favorite weekend spot.



Our bellies were full so we headed out to do a little shopping. We forgot Amelia's stroller so girlfriend had to walk the entire day. I hadn't really thought about it until today (because she's always in a stroller when we are out) but she has never been on an escalator. She was a fan and asked to ride it in every store.



After a little shopping, it was time for a cupcake break. I chose red velvet and Amelia chose vanilla with sprinkles. She ate the entire thing along with a cup of milk. She was one happy girl!



Alex and Amelia gave me a pair of boots for my birthday that I just love! My girl loves shoes...we shopped a few shoe stores today and she was taking off her boots and trying on heels before I could stop her!

We ended the day with dinner at Big Orange.



We had a little wait so we snuggled up by the outdoor fireplace with our girl.



Once inside I ordered my most recent craving and favorite drink. They make fresh lemon-limeades and they are DELICIOUS. I had two with my dinner!



Little Miss stayed busy with her "magnet girl" as we waited for our food. She can take the magnets and change the girl's clothes...she just loves it. I bought this especially for restaurants and really don't let her play with it at home. I always keep it in my purse for when we're out to eat. If I see she's getting antsy, I pull it out and it keeps her attention the entire time. I bought it at Cracker Barrel...best $7 I've ever spent.



It was such a fun day. We had Amelia out for 9 hours and she was pure joy the entire time. I think my favorite part of the day was when Amelia sang "Happy Tay-Tay" to me. It's the cutest thing ever to hear her sing. She also answered us with "yes, sir" and "yes, ma'am" without being told. We've been working on this because she usually answers with "yeah." I cringe every time I hear her say it. It just made my day that she has been listening and is starting to remember what we're trying to teach her.

And I have to say, my husband gave me the best birthday present of all. He had planned a wonderful trip for us to take for my birthday, but since I'm almost 6 months pregnant, we decided right now isn't the best time. So instead of just cancelling vacation - he's taking off an entire week to be at home with me. I'm so excited to have him at home all week!!

I'm a blessed girl. Happy "Tay-Tay" to me. :)

Love to all,

Sweet moments...

Amelia and I just arrived home last night. We've been at my parent's home since Sunday evening. We had a fun week!



We took Papa to physical therapy on Tuesday. He's making progress and getting stronger every day. I'm so proud of him! He was doing little projects around the house and was sweet to let Amelia help. Lord knows it took longer with her helping but she loved that time with her Papa.

My Mom seems to teach Amelia a new word or song every time we visit. She taught her "Jesus Loves Me This I Know" and can I just say, it's the sweetest sound to my ears to hear her singing those words!!

We made a trip to the mall. Amelia took a sweet ride on the ice cream truck!



We played with cousins. We don't get to see Jackson and Millie very often so it was a sweet time to spend a couple of days with them!



We helped unpack boxes at the new house. My parents have a wonderful yard now. I could just close the front gates and watch Amelia play from the kitchen window. My sweet girl thought she was so big playing outside by herself!



Amelia was exhausted and slept the entire 3 hours home. A nice, quiet drive home. This was a sweet time for Mommy.



We enjoyed our first Thanksgiving meal with our homegroup last night. Oh it was SO GOOD! Thanks to leftovers, I'll be having Thanksgiving again today. Amelia had both of her Great Grandmothers (my Grandma & Alex's Mimi) at homegroup last night! We just had to get a picture. How sweet and special is that!?



I hit the 20 week mark while at my parents. Sydney is moving all the time and I just love it. I feel like my belly doubled in size over the last 2 weeks. Could be from all the sweets I've been craving. I'll be interested to see how much I've gained. The nurse told me (at my November appointment) that I've gained 7 pounds so far in this pregnancy. I was pleased with that. I'm fairly certain that number will go up to at least 10 pounds after Thanksgiving.

We arrived home to such a sweet surprise. Alex put up our Christmas tree!!! Amelia LOVES it. She rounded the corner this morning and it was like she was seeing it for the first time all over again. She literally gasped as if it took her breath away and ran to touch it. She keeps saying, "it pretty, Mommy." She sits behind it until I make her come out. I think she's going to have the same love for Christmas as her Mommy. We'll put the ornaments on this weekend!



So that's what we've been up to! We're gearing up for the holidays and can't wait to spend lots of time with our sweet families.

Love to all,

I refuse...

I've had so much on my heart the past couple of months but every time I would sit down to write on my blog - I just couldn't. I took that as I should just wait...that He's still teaching me something in those areas...or that some of it will just stay between me and Him.

One of the things that I feel I can finally write about is this.

Blogging.

I read so many blogs in regards to this same subject and I honestly think it's the enemies way of getting in and trying to stir up strife. He just loves to see Godly women tear each other down, or respond in a non-loving way to one another, or see them harbor jealousy in their hearts towards one another, or make them feel inferior because their "follower" number over on their sidebar dropped this week. There was a time that I found myself looking at that number like it actually meant something...and ya know what...it doesn't.

My self worth can't come from how many people read my blog or how many people comment on my blog posts. That's insane.

I know that sounds silly but it's something I read A LOT. Women with hurt feelings because they lost a follower or because they never receive comments. If you fight looking at that number constantly, you know the best way to stop struggling with it? Take your follower button and comments section down. We need to stop looking for our self worth in positive comments from others and look for it in the only One that can fill us up. We need to look UP. He's the only one that can fill that need.

My brother-in-law is currently watching his Dad fight an incurable cancer. A cancer that will take his life unless God sees fit to perform a miracle. Every time I think of it, all I can do is cry and pray for that miracle.

I've been going to my parents since my Daddy had his surgery and though I'm exhausted by the time I return home - I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Serving my parents is a privilege. Many would give anything to have their parents back, just so they could serve them and take care of them. While I'm there we watch things like Little House on the Prairie, Wind at my Back, and The Walton's.

Clean television.

Shows about families spending time together and enjoying the most simple moments. Shows without drama and that lift the spirit.

Alex has been preaching a series called "Building Up The Believer" and it has been so convicting. This last week the Father revealed to me that I must guard my mind and home from the trash that the television brings into our home. THAT I ALLOW IN MY HOME. We can make excuses all day long as to why we watch certain programs but when it comes right down to it, it's either clean or not. There's very little good on television.

I love to write about what my baby girl is up to and love having those memories to come back and read at any time. I have no doubt that I will cherish my blog for that very reason.

I just refuse to miss opportunities with my family because I'm on my computer, phone, or watching a program that shouldn't even be on my television at all.

I refuse to miss opportunities to encourage and edify another believer because I'm so blinded with jealousy.

I refuse to fight insecurity because someone else has a larger following or receives more comments.

I refuse to miss an opportunity to be a servant to someone else because I'm so wrapped up in myself.

Do you hear that devil? I refuse.

He wants us to love like He loves. -John 15:12

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord." Ephesians 5:15-19

Love to all,

Party Planning, Perspective, & Prayer Request...

My friend, Christie, designed Amelia's birthday invite this year and I just love it! She's so talented...you should check out her SITE.



I've been in party planning mode for a few weeks now. Amelia's 2nd birthday is this Saturday, the 22nd. I decided on an Autumn theme and found lots of cute things! I've really felt behind because I'm usually planning/preparing for many months ahead of time, but with my morning sickness being so bad the first trimester, not much was accomplished. Anyway, I've been wrapping up loose ends and was going to use this entire week finishing things. Alex ended up needing to go out of town on business so that was a little added stress to my already planned week. I love throwing a party but I always let myself get stressed over the details that in the end don't really matter. I have a desire to make it special and unique. Nothing is wrong with that but letting myself get stressed over party planning is ridiculous. It's something that I've had to really work on over the years. I'm getting better at just letting things go and enjoying the party whether everything went as planned or not. Alex can attest to this because he's the one that has to remind me. :)

And there's nothing like a good dose of perspective to make you realize what's truly important. To make you realize it really doesn't matter if you have labels for all of the food, or stickers on the favors, or seating for all 60 of your guests.

I received the call yesterday that my Daddy will have open heart surgery on Wednesday of this week. Needless to say, the party is being postponed. I want to be with my Daddy & Mama. That's WAY MORE IMPORTANT than any birthday party. And I can't even count the number of times my parents have dropped what they had going or had planned to come be with me when I needed them. I called all of the vendors yesterday to let them know I needed to postpone and let everyone on the guest list know they shouldn't show up at my home this Saturday. I'm thinking we'll celebrate early November. Amelia will never know or even care. When we mention her birthday all she ever says is "tay-tay cake??" (LOL) I'm assuming she's saying birthday cake and she will most definitely still have birthday cake on Saturday.

So now I can concentrate on my Daddy and helping Mama in any way I can. Please say a prayer for my Daddy? I know everything will go well and he will feel so much better once he has recovered, but it's major surgery and recovery could be lengthy.

Love to all,

The Punkin' Patch...

We've been telling Amelia for a couple of weeks now that we were going to the pumpkin patch this month. This was our first free weekend so today was the day! She was pretty excited. She kept saying, "going to punkin' patch!!"



This was when we first arrived. She was sleepy from the ride and not quite ready for her picture to be taken.



Alex said she needed to feed and pet the animals. Thank the Lord for hand sanitizer :) They had pigs, goats, calves, and ducks. She LOVED feeding the baby goat. We asked her afterwards what animals she saw and she said, "I feed goat grass." She also says she met "Ivia & Ian the pig." She loves the cartoon Olivia. (LOL)



My favorite thing was watching her with the calf. It would lick her hand and she would laugh so hard.



I think about when we took her last year...she couldn't even walk. She has grown so much.



She insisted on walking the entire time - but once she saw Daddy with the wagon - she wanted a ride!



We picked a pretty cinderella pumpkin and let her pick a few little pumpkins as well.



She held her 3 little pumpkins the entire way home and even asked to take a nap with them. How cute is that?



It was such a fun day with our girl. We were talking about next year - we'll have an almost 3 year old and a 7 month old. Can hardly imagine!!



Love to all,