My Mom's Bday (Nonna)

Because my parents are truly wonderful, they came to help out so I could focus on my final last week (I made an A...it took 5 1/2 hrs to complete!).  They were here Tuesday-Saturday.  Despite the fact that my cold developed into laryngitis, we had an especially good visit.  We celebrated my mom's birthday a week or so early.  I tried my luck at baking her a low-fat pineapple cake.  It was "ok".  Let's just say we were all glad there was ice cream to mask the flavor that was otherwise lacking!!!  Laughing ;D 

The infamous cake...apparently momma turned 3 (ah, bet she was a cute tot!)...Grace wanted the "3" candle on top!!!  I didn't post the up close because it didn't look too yummy.  HA!

Snow, Louisville, Throw up, Farm show, GPS error, Nebo (all in two days)

For months, we have planned to take the kids to the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville.  Normally I'm not a big Lou-fan but for the sheer fact that it meant we could get out and do something different, I was gung-ho.  Well, the day we were to leave, we woke up to a world of white.  Like a kid, I had climbed into my tub around 5 am, and peered out my little octagon window at it.  It was a "moment" as my friend Tara and I used to say...all looked serene and my house was still.  It was a God moment.  You know the kind...when you fully recognize that God is God and He is amazing.  An hour or two later, when the family did get up and moving, we began discussing whether or not we'd make the trip (My vote was no!  And I said it emphatically.  Anyone who knows knows me knows that if you put me in a car with icy roads beneath the tires, you get a whigged out, nervous wreck woman).  Anyway, true to himself, Shawn decided I was the crazy one (hhhaahhh) and that driving to Louisville on a day when 6" of snow fell the previous night was normal.  (Did I mention Louisville got that much also?)  Anyway, I was bummed.  And I was torn because really, I wanted to go.  Nonetheless, off he went.  The kids and I watched him back his truck out into the winter wonderland from the confines of the living room.  Anyway, that day we were slightly icky (meaning a little under the weather).  The next morning, I thought all was well so I made the decision that the kids and I would join Shawn in Lou-ville (that's how Callie used to pronounce it, cute).  Anyway, we got there, got the bag and the babes into room #1193 and I unbuckled Noah John.  (Side note:  it is a workout in and of itself to carry that carrier with a 19 lb baby inside).  When I lifted him out, he was scorching.  I gave him tylenol which I had grabbed from our medicine cabinet at the last moment.  After close to an hour, it hadn't taken affect, so I gave him more.  I figured since he weighed as much as an average 1 year old, it would be all right.  While we were waiting for the med to bring his temp down, he literally laid on me and made pitiful little noises.  Thankfully, he responded to the 2nd dose so we left for dinner.  The next morning, after I nursed him, he threw up all the milk he'd just ingested.  We had to move Grace to another bed, change clothes, and go buy me some panties.  It soaked through that much, yes.  Thankfully he threw up only the one time and as the day went on, he seemed to get better and better.  So, off to see the tractors (well, first Build-a-Bear for Grace)!  We had a really awesome time.  The kids were unbelievably well-behaved.  We were there for 6 hours!!!  We met up with two college friends (Brian and Jeremy) and then saw numerous others to chat with as well.  At 6, we loaded up to head home.  Somehow the GPS got switched to my parents' and it put me on the wrong path so I spent an hour driving the wrong way!!!  Since my kids are great travelers, they just slept through the whole drive.  I finally arrived home at 10, which should've been 9, and scrubbed all 3 of us down.  Grace's leggings were sooo gross...super dirty from playing on the escalators (she would inevitably sit down each time we went down...and I think we did this 5 times total...the last time the security guard told her to stand up, lol).  I think she was the dirtiest she's ever been!  Anyway, now we're HOME and we babysat a friend's 2 year old this morning...I got 4 loads of laundry put away, dishes done, the kids are both asleep (I want a nap) and it is time to study!  Oh, did I mention that supper is on!?  Ah, another God moment.  Thank the Lord for Shawn being home til 10:30 so I could get a start on things this morning.  I savor the times when I'm caught up enough to sit down and blog.  We're trying our luck with Japanese tonight...fried rice with vegetables and Shawn is going to try to recreate yum yum sauce.  We are getting progressively foodier day by day.  (I have Unieekaas cheese in my fridge ... need I say more?)  Off to study.

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

Peter Pan

My kids remind me of Tinkerbell and Peter Pan.  Grace is more of a mischievous Pixie/Fairy than a demure little princess (that's to say she's equal parts sugar and SPICE).  And Noah John is my boy wonder...ready to venture as far as he can on all 4s ha ha...and he can really get into stuff already (he has taken nobs off cabinet doors, the screen door hinge apart, and he's only 8 mos old!!!)  The dress that Grace is wearing is the one that my niece Callie wore in our wedding 6 1/2 years ago.  I think she looks like a pixie in it, so I thought I'd post the photos...that and  I'm a sap for stuff with sentimental value, particularly when it comes to family.

Too Busy & Other Lessons

It's funny how kids can say the darndest things (pardon my Kentucky slang there) and teach us lessons.  The last little bit, Grace has started telling me she is busy.  For instance, the other morning, we woke up to 6 inches of snow.  Grace was not at all impressed.  She walked to the window, looked out, and basically let us know it looked pretty enough, but she was content to be inside in the warmth.  After breakfast the conversation went as follows:

Me:  "Grace I'm really surprised you aren't itching to go outside and play in the snow!"
G:  "No, I don't want to.  I'm busy."

Me Laughing:  "Busy?  Doing WHAT!?  You're three years old!"

Side note:  Everything we ask her to do seems to get answered with an "I'm busy!" 

G:  "I'm busy wanting to watch some tv."

The lesson I learned here is that she has heard me say, "I'm busy right now honey" so much that she now says it...so I have to get less busy and spend more time saying "Sure honey sounds fun" when she asks me daily to have a tea party or pretend we're at a bday party or have a princess party or whatever it may be.  Hopefully I'll figure all this out before Noah John gets much older right ;^)??? 

Speaking of Noah John, I just want to slow him down.  He said Momma several times today!!!  I think this adds word #4 or #5 to his repertoire.  (Daddy, Momma-which he said awhile back then quit, Hi, Poppa, and once or twice Bye).  He is trying to pull to standing.  His chubby little legs try and try, but he usually only pulls up with help.  He is the fastest crawler I think I've ever seen, and can scale a room in no time flat.  He's like Dash on "The Incredibles."  FFfffast.  He has the sweetest smile and squinches his eyes when he does.  I pray for him at night sometimes-that God will find favor in him, just like He did Noah in the Bible, that he'll live his life for Christ, be surrounded by Godly friends, & someday if it's God's will that he will have a Godly wife.  I also pray for me then, because I think children in general are so deserving of such love and kindness and I pray that I will be the mom God intends me to be.  Parenting is so hard.  Yet it's also the most rewarding thing I've ever done.  Even though the lessons I learn, like being too busy here at home, I often learn from the mouths of my babes.

Noah John @ 8 months old

He warms my heart day after day.   

                                                           

My wonderful dad and NJ--this is one of my favorite pictures.

Thank you God for my family. 

New baby! (Nephew)

The kids and I trekked home (Monticello) Thursday and stayed four nights.  It was a really great trip!  Except for not sleeping well.  Noah John has been a bear lately.  VERY fussy.  I assume he's teething, but I also think he's just spoiled and likes to be held a lot...guess I better go pick him up; he's crying now (lol).  Anyway, we headed home to see my nephew and he is really, really cute, just as I suspected (lol again).  In this picture, as you will see, my normally laid-back baby is crying, so see, I have proof.  This is the very first picture of all 5 of the cousins together.  We are blessed.

On another note, I have really gotten into cooking lately and at an odd time too (started Weight Watchers Jan. 1, have lost about 12 lbs).  Anyway, I have this friend here who is the neatest chick ever.  She knows all this random stuff about food and spices and she has rubbed off on me.  I think I have finally found a hobby:  cooking.  Yay because I was getting pretty bored and boring and needed something just for me.  Fortunately for my family, said hobby happens to fill their bellies and it's something I would do anyway, so my time on it is justified.  I could have taken up belly dancing yes?  NO!  HHHHAAAA.  I tried ballet a couple years ago, since I loved it as a kid, but I've found that if a hobby requires leaving my house (getting a sitter) then it won't get very far.  Anyway, I am really, really enjoying trying new recipes and now having dinner out is becoming rare (once a week), which is so good with me b'c restaurants in general gross me out.  It's funny that I sold Pampered Chef for 5 years but just realized my love of cooking.  If you haven't seen Julie&Julia, go rent it.  It's a girly movie.  I loved it!  (About a girl who tried to make every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook in 1 yr and who blogged about it, too...true story and cute cute).  I haven't done anything fancy yet, but when I do, I will share (via posting only, sorry, ha ha.)  It's pretty cool how when you introduce fresher veggies, spices, sauces, etc, food can get so unprocessed and taste like something you should actually be eating.  And I even adapted a Paula Deen recipe for WW and you know, it turned out just fine and I still lost weight that week.

There's a chance for snow tomorrow.  I wish we could get a few inches so I could take the kids (mostly Grace Eliz) out to play in it.  We put a hard puzzle together today (the sphere kind) and that little turkey dropped it and busted it afterward.  She needs to get OUT and burn off some energy.  We have a bday party to attend tomorrow night-a Disney Princess themed party-and she is so excited.  "Is the party today momma?"  "No, It's Friday"  "Is that after today?" "No...."  (I think we have had this conversation three times)  I just hope she'll go up the jungle gym at Fun4Kids by herself b'c I'll have Noah John too and climbing up with him is not something I plan to do :) but come to think of it, carrying a 19 1/2 lb 8 month old baby up a jungle gym would be some good, natural exercise (Exercise has to be naturally incorporated for me, even if it includes cleaning nonstop, racing Grace to the mailbox, doing squats while holding NJ and getting the laundry from the dryer, etc.  Exercise Schmexercise is what I say to workout videos and classes).  (The only form of exercise I will formally do is walking and jogging and that is sporadic and usually involves taking the kids for a walk for them, not me).

I'm really looking forward to Valentine's Day.  It is one of my favorite holidays.  We are selling GOURMET CHOCOLATE in our store for Valentine's and I'm asking for a box for the day of love.  It's that good.  I want a whole box...and roses.  I am a very traditional girly girl on Vday.  I don't get it when ladies say they don't want flowers.  I think that they are the prettiest things on earth, besides water (creeks, waterfalls, lakes, etc).  Anyway, I wish I could grow roses soooooo bad.  I like any color.  Yellow used to be my favorite but now I think maybe it's pink. 

I am going to try to start reading the Bible daily.  The Lord is my light-He shows me the way each time I need Him-yet I shortchange him every, single day.  I'm too human for my own good.  Pray that I will put Him first and be anchored in Him.

Noah John has cried for a long time now.  I really better close here.  I thought he would fall asleep but nope!

Crawling

Noah John is going, going, gonnnnne.  He is crawling well now...he started about a month ago but is now so good at it that he pushes his bottom up in the air and put pressure on his little fat feet now!  I'll try to attach a video of him crawling, mostly for mom and dad.  Technology sure makes the 3 plus hours between my family and me seem all right.  Now if I can just (HINT HINT) get my parents to have their cell phones accept pictures and videos.  I know I posted once today, but I just thought, "huh, I don't think I blogged about NJ's last milestone" so I'm posting again.
(I plan to print this off into a book at the end of the year, so it's more of a journal of everyday thoughts and so on in addition to some milestones, etc).