A Whale of A Time

Happy 4th of July...

2010-07-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

...from our family to yours!

Hope your day is filled with family, friends, fun and celebration!

A Circle

2010-06-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

My mom and dad babysat the kids for us last night so we could go eat dinner with some dear friends of ours. They took the kids out to dinner to eat at a local Mexican place and today I received this email from my mom. I couldn't resist sharing it with you:

When we went to eat Mexican, we were very busy at the beginning of the meal....getting out Emma's placemat, putting the dolls on the table to look at, making sure Ben was able to reach the table, moving the silverware making sure no knives were available to little hands. The waiter came, brought chips and drinks and cheese dip.

Out of nowhere, Ben's little voice said, "Nana, let's make a circle." He said it so low, I got up out of my chair and went around the table where he was seated by Papa and said, "I couldn't hear you, honey. What did you say?" Still in his quiet voice, he said, "Let's make a circle." I was wondering what kind of circle he was talking about, when all of a sudden I realized he wanted us to join hands and say grace. We all joined hands and said the blessing. I asked Benjamin, "Is that what you meant?" He nodded his head and said, "Yeah."

What a sweet boy reminding us to thank God first.

So at the urging of my son, I'm thanking Him today...

...for the toys all over my living room floor - and the little hands that put them there.

...for the little girl who loves to grin at her daddy.

...for my mom's retirement dinner on Saturday night -well done Mom!

...for mine and Kenneth's laughter as we chased each other around the house today - much to the delight of the little ones :)

...for a new friend who nursed her handicapped son this weekend with love and devotion.

...for Grandmommy's sneaky surprise today - thanks Linda!

"...Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe." Hebrews 12:28b

Refocus

2010-04-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

I'm aware that it has been awhile since I've posted.

And I have lots to post about (the remaining birthday stories, Easter, Benjamin's first soccer game, our fabulous parents-only getaway just last week!).

However, life has gotten in the way.

In the midst of all of these wonderful celebrations and the glorious emergence of Spring (oh, how I LOVE warm weather!), I've been really busy.

REALLY BUSY.

I've been working on a big project for Chick-fil-A and I also agreed to help our pastor's wife edit and design a set of Bible study materials - a job that was WAY bigger than I expected.

Plus, there's two little people and one big person that live with me that seem to need food and clean clothes and a whole assortment of other stuff done on a daily basis.

And my husband will tell you that I'm not one to handle stress well. Never have been. And it seems that the more stressed and anxious that I am, the less I am able to be joyful. I get less sleep. I'm crabby and short-tempered. Little things - things that are normally an easy part of my day - become huge, overwhelming tasks that never seem to get done.

The dishes are piled in the sink. Dust is everywhere. The clean clothes are folded, but have been sitting on the couch for two days.

But the kids? They are sleeping soundly in their beds after an evening of playing in the park and running (yes, Emma is RUNNING!) their little hearts out across the huge field that leads to the playground.

Instead of taking them to the park I could have put the clothes away. But you know what? I'm learning a bit about perfectionism. My kids don't need our house to be perfect. They just need it to be a safe, happy place. They don't need Mommy to be perfect, they just need Mommy to give them love and attention. God doesn't ask me to be perfect, He just asks me to praise.

So I'll praise Him today.

I'll praise Him for how precious my little girl looks in her summer dresses.

For a husband who works long, long hours being a student and teaching them - all to provide for his family.

For a little boy who hurt his knee on Saturday at his soccer game, but is no longer limping.

For my sister who invited the kids and I to come visit her this summer in New Orleans so that Daddy can have the house to himself to study for a few days with peace and quiet :)

I'll thank Him for the clothes I have to wash.

I'll thank Him for the food that we ate that has to be cleaned off the dishes.

And for my son's boundless energy and the challenge to channel that into all the right places.

For my daughter's determination and the fact that she is GREAT sleeper :)

What are you praising Him for today? Please share - I'd love to be encouraged!

(This post is linked to Finer Things Friday.)

The Passing of Time

2010-03-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

My emotions have been a bit raw this week.

My baby has turned into a boy.

And only another mother can understand the joy/grief that this passing of time brings.

Go read this mother's exquisite words.

And if you are a mom, grab a tissue first.

Somehow...

2010-03-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

Somehow, in a blink of an eye, this little guy...

grew up a little...

And then a little more...

And just keeps on growing! How can we get him to stop? :)

He's now officially a little boy.

Not a baby.

Not a toddler.

A LITTLE BOY.

Tonight when we said our prayers together as I was tucking him in, I began to thank God for his life and had to work really hard to hide my tears from Benjamin.

I'm overwhelmed that God would choose me to be a parent, and even more overwhelmed that He would choose me to be his parent.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie. We love you more than words can say.

(pictures above: 3 days old, 1st birthday, 2nd birthday, and 3rd birthday)

These boots were made for walkin'...

2010-03-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

Last week on her 13-month birthday, Emma Claire decided to let go of the walls and furniture that she's been cruising around on and take a few steps. I managed to capture her second attempt on video:

Since then, she's been gaining courage and adding steps daily. Just this morning she walked 15 steps across the living room! It is so funny to watch because she giggles so much when she is walking, sometimes her laughter throws her off balance.

Such a treat to watch this little angel grow up!

Chica Bonita

2010-03-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

As the time approached to plan Emma Claire's birthday party, I realized several things. First of all, February = FREEZING cold weather = not as many fun options for a birthday party extravaganza. So, we decided not to stress about it and just have a low-key affair at the local Mexican restaurant with presents and cake at our house afterward.

Second realization? Even the most relaxed plans might have to be even more relaxed. My mom came down with a nasty cold/sinus infection the day before the party, and since I couldn't imagine Emma Claire diving in to her very first cake ever without Nana there to witness the momentous occasion, we postponed the party until she was feeling better.

And of course, since everyone we invited was available to attend the first party, no one except the grandparents could attend the re-scheduled one. But, that's okay - we had fun anyway! We decided since it was a small group and FREEZING cold outside (did I mention that already?) that we would just stay at the restaurant for cake and presents and we all had a great time!

Benjamin and Emma Claire's cousin Luke came along with Grandmommy and Grandaddy and he and Ben had a great time making each other laugh all night.

And as you can see in the picture below, my mom is a very smart lady. She brought those little cars for the boys to play with while we waited on our food - Genius!

Here's Emma Claire's PINK cake:

She was not very excited about it at first. Maybe she didn't like the texture? Or like a true Southern lady, doesn't like to be messy?

Then finally she started to get the hang of it...

And, success!

YUM!

I'm not sure the picture does it justice, but this is a beautiful hand-made quilt that my sister made and sent her little neice all the way from New Orleans. Gorgeous!

And some cute clothes and a goody bag of fun gifts from my mom...

Kenneth's parents are going to contribute to a combo sand/water table that we are going to get for the kids to use outside once the weather warms up.

Thanks for loving your sweet granddaughter so much! She has great grandparents!

Little Boy Captivated

2010-03-02T20:22:00.000-08:00

Enjoying our fourth (or fifth?) snow of the season today. Having grown up in Georgia myself, I'm not even sure it snowed four or five times in my entire childhood, much less in one season!

Benjamin loves watching it come down and stood here at the window for what seemed like an hour, so I thought I'd capture the moment.

We snuggled up with warm blankets and watched entirely too many Thomas the Train videos today while keeping an eye on the beautiful sight out the window. If winter is going to hang on for a while yet, at least it's pretty!

A Year of Emma Claire

2010-02-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

One day old.

One month old.

Two months old.

Three months old.

Four months old.

Five months old.

Six months old.

Seven months old.

Eight months old.

Nine months old.

Ten months old.

Eleven months old.

Twelve months/one year old! Hurray!

Special Day

2010-02-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

On this day...

exactly one year ago...

at precisely 1:26 p.m....

this darling little angel came into our lives.

And nothing has been the same since.

I am fully aware - especially due to the recent experiences of a few dear friends of mine - that her conception and birth were a miracle.

And her life continues to be a miracle. Every day, every smile, every word, every move.

We are so thankful and grateful for your life, little one!

"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." Psalm 139:13-14

Reason number two as to why I shouldn't eat out at a restaurant with Benjamin again until he's twenty-seven.

2010-01-26T11:05:00.000-08:00

Monday nights are always a little hectic for us. Kenneth leaves work early, runs home for about five minutes to change clothes and grab a bite to eat, and then races off again to class from 5 to 8 pm. I attend a ladies Bible study from 7:30 to 9:30 pm, so from about 7:15 (when I leave for Bible study) to 8:45 (when K arrives home from class) the kids are left at home unattended.

Ha, ha. Just kidding.

Last night, Nana (my mom) graciously volunteered to keep the kids for us while I was gone until K could get home from class. And, she volunteered to take the kids and I out to dinner before I had to leave – what a fabulous Nana!

So, there we were, entering the restaurant.

The hostess asked, “Would you like a booster seat and a high chair?”

“Yes, thanks.” I replied.

Now let me pause and say that I am not one of those moms who worry about whether their child should sit in a booster seat or not. Sometimes Benjamin likes them, and other times he wants to be like Mommy and Daddy and sit without one. And since he’s really big enough now to reach his food without the booster seat, I have no problem either way. But, we bring one to the table most of the time just in case.

So at first he didn’t want to sit in it – no problem, we colored the kids menu without it. But then when his food arrived, he decided that he did want to sit up higher to reach his food, so I settled him happily into the booster.

A few minutes later he leaned over against me and said, “Mommy, my finger is stuck.”

Now, Benjamin uses the term “stuck” often, and usually completely out of context, such as “Mommy-my-legs-are-STUCK-under-this-huge-mountain-of-pillows-and-can-you-help-me-get-them-out?” or “Mommy-my-pants-are-STUCK-around-my-ankles-can-you-help-me-pull-them-up?” or “Mommy-my-arms-are-STUCK-around-you-in-this-hug-and-I-can’t-let-go!”

So I wasn’t alarmed.

Until I looked down.

On each arm of the booster seat was a very small hole right at the spot where a child’s fingers would rest – and probably subconsciously – slip into the holes.

Which was what had happened to my son’s left ring finger.

So, trying not to panic, I tried to wiggle his finger out. “That hurts!” he yelled. So we tried some hand sanitizer to try to wet the area and slide it out. Not working. Then we tried butter. STILL NOT WORKING. Then I tried putting ice around the finger to try to cool it off so it wouldn’t swell from all of the manipulating I was doing. STILL NOT WORKING.

All of this happened in about 30 seconds, and I quickly realized that we were going to need help, so I told my mom to tell the waitress to call the fire department. And after taking a few minutes to convince her and the restaurant manager that it really was an emergency and that his finger WAS SWELLING, they called 911.

About five minutes later (but what seemed like a year) an ambulance pulled in the parking lot and the EMTs came in. They tried using petroleum jelly to slide his finger out, but that proved to be too painful for Benjamin and they agreed that his finger was probably too swollen at that point to pull it out.

By the way, during all of this Benjamin was an angel. Although it was extremely painful when the EMTs were working with his finger, he refused to cry and only whimpered and buried his head in my shoulder. He cooperated with the specialists and answered all of their questions. I was so proud of him!

So the EMTs decided that they needed to call the fire department to come cut the seat off of his finger. They radioed their request in and we waited some more.

When the firemen arrived, they took a hack-saw and cut about a 3x3 square out of the booster seat around his finger (while I held my breath and prayed). This opened it up so that they could see the remaining hidden portion of his finger and it was clear to all of us that it was so swollen that it would not be able to be pulled out and would have to be cut out.

So then they got on the radio to locate the tools that they use for such a thing – for cutting adult hands and fingers out of machinery and such.

The tools were OVER AN HOUR AWAY.

Just then the man in the booth behind us said “I’ve got a sharp set of pliers out in the truck – you wanna try that?” The firemen looked at each other and shrugged. “Sure,” said one of them, “bring ‘em in and we’ll see if they’ll work.”

The man quickly went to his truck and brought back the pliers and the firemen set to work. One fireman held the piece of plastic around Ben’s finger to steady it and lessen the pressure on Ben’s finger, and another fireman started carefully cutting the plastic. A third fireman held Benjamin’s arm up, while a fourth held a flashlight directly on his finger. Mommy held Benjamin’s other hand and prayed.

It was a long process. The plastic was very thick, so the fireman had to chip away at it piece by piece. Finally, he made his way close to Benjamin’s finger. Sweat popped out on his forehead and I prayed even harder. One slip of his hand and Benjamin would surely lose his little finger to the sharp pliers.

One more clip and then he stopped and manually pried the plastic apart. Benjamin pulled is finger out and I swooped him up in a big hug amidst clapping from all the people eating in the restaurant and huge smiles from all the firemen.

After checking his finger and pronouncing it fine – albeit quite red, swollen and sore – the firemen offered Benjamin a seat in the fire truck for being such a good boy throughout the whole ordeal. I wish I had my camera with me to show you that little boy's grin from ear to ear while sitting in that fire truck. He loved it!

And today? Today when I asked him what the firemen did last night at the restaurant, I expected him to tell me that they helped him pull his finger out of the booster seat.

But instead, he grinned and said, “They let me sit in their truck!”

Yes, son, that’s exactly what they did.

Cheerios

2009-12-10T12:49:00.000-08:00

So the other day my cell rang and it was a client from work calling. I quickly assessed the situation... Emma Claire was sitting happily in her high chair eating a few cheerios and Benjamin was playing nicely with his trains in the playroom. They were both safe and occupied, so I stepped into the living room to take the call in relative quiet without the sounds of a baby and Thomas the Train in the background. :)

The call only lasted a few minutes, but during the call I heard Emma whimper a bit and then get quiet again (and I heard enough happy noises to know that she was okay).

When the call ended and I returned to the kitchen, I quickly figured out what her noises meant. Apparently, she had finished all of her cheerios and began whimpering for some more, a sound that clearly, her brother understands, because he was quick to assess the situation and help his sister out:

And her lap after I took the tray away:

And the floor, which, all things considered, could have been much worse:

I'm sure they whispered to each other, "That'll keep her from leaving us next time the phone rings!" Well done, kiddos!

December 5th

2009-12-05T18:23:00.000-08:00

On this day, exactly 30 years ago, my sweet mother-in-law worked very hard to bring my soulmate into this world.

Happy Birthday Sweetie! So, so glad you were born! :)

Just Like Daddy

2009-11-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure the camera can convey exactly how cute this was in person...

Her New Trick

2009-11-25T06:08:00.001-08:00

Me: "Honey, didn't I explain to you that you have to stay this little and cute forever? That means no growing up!"

Emma Claire: "But Mom, I like standing up!"

The Yard Diaries: Part IX (The Finale...For Now)

2009-11-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

To read all previous posts within the Yard Diaries series, click here.

Okay! So I've been encouraged by my handsome hubby and his dad (a.k.a. Lumberjack Larry) to wrap this series up. Personally, I don't know what they're talking about - I'm only nine months behind!

When I left off, our new driveway had been poured, the bobcat was grading the yard and the fence was being installed.

Then this bad boy showed up:

Have you ever had a tractor-trailer truck rumble down your street and stop in front of your house with a delivery for you? I haven't, and it was a little intimidating. Especially once the driver began placing the pallets of sod all over our yard. It was a lot of sod.

Oh, and did I mention that Kenneth decided that he was going to lay the sod himself?

Yeah, a lot of sod.

Thankfully, my husband is as brilliant as he is handsome and decided to hire a couple of helpers. You can see one of them in the picture below. I was so thankful for those guys! Sod has to be laid within 24 hours of delivery for the best results and we also had the added pressure of a big thunderstorm rolling in the next morning, so time was of the essence.

Oh, and here's the third little helper:

After the guys helped Kenneth for about eleven hours, they had to leave, so I took the kids over to Kenneth's parents and came back and helped as well. Sod is WAY HEAVIER than it looks!!!

Then when the kids came back, I put them to sleep and Kenneth and I stayed up until about 1 a.m. laying the last of the sod. The next few days were very rainy -perfect timing- exactly what the sod needed!

Then over the next few weeks, Kenneth and his helper began planting some foundation plants and privacy trees in the backyard.

Then, as the weather warmed, the sod turned green and grew like crazy! So the yard and the baby grew together...

And as we watched our kids roll around and play in their new yard, all of the stress and hard work became a fleeting memory. It was all completely worth it.

In the picture below, you can see some of the privacy trees that Kenneth planted. Our hope is that they will grow up and make the back yard feel very private and serene.

Here is a picture of the front yard in the fall. You can see all of the beautiful mums that Kenneth planted along the front walkway.

And in this picture, you can see more privacy trees. We're also excited that the fence is already changing colors. I like the older, gray color better than the shiny new wood color!

In some of these pictures, you can also see the curves that we created when the sod was being laid. That was definitely the hardest part about the sod going down.

So there you have it! I'm looking out the window right now at the yard, and I still can't believe we did it! Many thanks to Lumberjack Larry and most of all to Kenneth, who worked countless hours to get the yard where it is today. We hope to start phase two in the Spring of next year, when we'll add more plants in the backyard and along the foundation. Then phase three the following year will be planting the side yards. We'll keep you posted!

And She's Off!

2009-11-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

Check out this little cutie-pie! We just celebrated her nine-month birthday at the beginning of November and I can't believe that soon we'll be having her first birthday party!

She started crawling at about 7.5 months and has not looked back since! She was tentative at first, but after about a day we renamed her Lightning McQueen (or as Benjamin says, "Emma the Queen").

She is so fast! And like most females, when she sees something she wants, she goes after it. At that point, very little can stop her except for a parent swooping in and picking her up. Otherwise, whatever is at the end of her radar is about to be drooled on, banged to death or thrown halfway across the room. :)

In the picture below, Daddy had just left for work and she couldn't figure out why she couldn't go with him. She is a Daddy's girl for sure - she lights up each day when he gets home from work!

And, getting into all the toys...she has a knack for crawling over just as Benjamin and I have carefully sorted everything into the proper bins...

Oh, and the puzzle corner. Emma Claire LOVES the puzzle corner. This is what it looks like before she arrives...

And, after:

What a mess! Apparently I've got to get a better organizing system. :)

Halloween Fun

2009-11-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

So on October 31, Woody, the cowboy from the Toy Story movie, and a little baby princess came by our house. They were so cute we decided to keep 'em!

We headed out early for the annual neighborhood Halloween parade.

These are two of Benjamin's favorite playmates that live just down the street.

And of course, Nana and Grandmommy came along...

As did Papa and Granddaddy!

Then we headed back to the house for a bite to eat and Daddy and Benjamin carved the pumpkin. Benjamin was fascinated by the hole at the top and loved that he could "open it" by himself!

Then it was time to trick-or-treat! Doesn't the skull cap match the princess dress perfectly? :)

And then the princess baby decided to wave her fairy dust all over the house and shower smiles on all in attendance.

She was not cute AT ALL. :)

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-11-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

In early October, we headed out to Athens to the pumpkin farm. It was our second year in a row to actually pick a pumpkin from a real pumpkin patch and we had a great time!

And of course, this year, we had a new little pumpkin with us...

Now, which is the cutest, sweetest, roundest little pumpkin in this picture? :)

Apparently when your parents are yelling, "Smile! Say cheese!" that really means "look at the camera with your most serious face ever."

After picking our pumpkins, we took a ride on the hay ride and although this picture makes it look like we took a trip through the parking lot, it really was a lovely ride through the entire farm.

Of course, the children were a little too distracted by each other to enjoy the view...

After the hay ride, we went over to see the animals. I think this was the highlight of Benjamin's day. He loved petting the goats...

But especially loved chasing the rooster!

Daddy and Benjamin rode the bikes around the hay bales...

And Emma Claire enjoyed cheering them on...

And of course, was extra cute all day long!

Halloween pictures coming soon!

A whale of a time...

2009-09-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

The past few months have been rather significant in the Whale of a Time household. We have made some decisions and begun a few journeys that have and will have a large impact on our family.

And throughout it all, we have felt God's presence in our lives and been blessed abundantly with His peace and provision.

In late Spring, through a very specific chain of events, Kenneth felt led to apply to a doctorate program. It was quite a lengthy application process, followed by a day-long interview with a panel of professors, and, since he was applying so late in the process, there were only a few spots remaining in the program. Kenneth was a bit apprehensive about his chances of being accepted to the program, but I was not the least bit surprised when the director of the program called him personally to extend his congratulations on his acceptance. I'm sure Kenneth could explain how he felt at that moment in much greater detail than I, but suffice it to say that receiving that phone call was literally a dream come true for him.

He is now finishing up his third week of his first semester in the program, and we are all adjusting to his new schedule. The program will last three years and includes a large amount of reading and research, so my handsome hubby has been burning the candle at both ends to stay ahead of all of his assignments, teach and inspire his students during the day, attend classes several nights a week, and still fulfill his role in our family as father and husband. He's doing a great job balancing everything and I've been amazed at his calm demeanor throughout these past few weeks. It's truly a testament to God's provision, that He is providing Kenneth with all the time he needs to get everything done.

In the meantime, I'm holding down the fort at home and trying to support Kenneth as best I can and trying not to demand too much from him during his limited free time. :)

But, last weekend, I did request that he take some time off from his studies to take me out to dinner to celebrate my thirtieth birthday.

I'm a little shy about writing that. It makes it seem rather real, and I'm not so sure what I think about saying good-bye to my twenties yet. I'll let you know when I figure it out.

So, Kenneth started his doctorate, I turned thirty, and oh yes, we finally found a church that we love! When we moved out to the suburbs a couple of years ago, we commuted back into the city to attend our old church for a while, but we really wanted to find a church near our home in our own community. This summer, God made it abundantly clear that this church is where we are supposed to be, and we couldn't be happier. We are so thankful and grateful for this precious body of believers.

In the midst of all of this, Benjamin started preschool two mornings a week and I began a very part-time job doing some marketing for a local Chick-fil-A (from home). Emma has cut two teeth, is sitting like a pro and we are predicting that she is just days away from crawling.

And, although our lives have been filled up with a few more things than before, we are still striving to live a simple, frugal lifestyle. It is my desire that our home would be a calm, peaceful, simple household that honors God and is a joy to all who live and visit here. This concept is not always something that I feel like I accomplish on a daily basis, but I have been amazed at how much calmer our home has been since we've prayerfully adopted this mentality. We sold our large-screen television and disconnected the cable and we created a playroom for the children. Having all of their puzzles, toys and such in one room has definitely helped to create a more soothing atmosphere in the rest of the house, and Kenneth and I have found that we are much more productive with our time now that we don't have cable!

So, anyway, a lot of changes have happened over the summer, both inside our home and in our endeavors outside our home. I think most of you who read this blog are our personal friends and family, so I wanted to take a moment to update you. We love you all and hope to see you soon!

The Yard Diaries: Part VIII (The Biggest Project We've Ever Done)

2009-09-09T12:24:00.001-07:00

To read all previous posts within the Yard Diaries series, click here.

In case you haven't been keeping up with this gigantic yard endeavor that we decided to embark on when our baby was FOUR WEEKS OLD, let me give you a recap.

My darling husband and I decided that the massive amount of stumps, poison ivy and broken concrete in our yard was posing a danger to our son (and anyone else who might decide to play in our yard!). So after much thought, we decided to totally renovate the yard.

Only, we probably could have chosen a better time to do it than FOUR WEEKS after our baby was born.

Somehow we survived (and by "we" I mean the totally sleep deprived, emotional, breast-feeding mommy).

So, we hired a landscaping crew that removed several trees, all of the stumps (several of which my husband was responsible for), all of the poison ivy and the broken driveway.

Based on the pictures from the previous post, you would have thought that we had enough dirt in our backyard, but no, we did not. We had to have several dump truck loads of dirt delivered in order to level the back yard (apparently when the poison ivy was removed, a lot of the dirt was removed as well).

After the dirt was delivered, the bobcat took it to the lowest places in the yard and began grading the entire yard. Simultaneously, our new fence was being installed.

And yes, the fence crew had a little helper, and yes, he is wearing his pajamas in the middle of the day in the middle of the dirt (Daddy was in charge that morning).

Sometime during all of this, our new driveway was poured. I don't know the specific day because again, I was in a total fog due to the fact that I was quite sleep-deprived at this time. I remember the concrete trucks rolling in, but Benjamin and I were so fascinated that I forgot to take pictures. But here is how it came out:

And all the frustration and stress of the project was worth it when our little boy ran out and danced on his new driveway.

Oh, and then, he drove his cars into their new parking spaces. :)

First Day of Preschool

2009-09-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

Dropping him off in the carpool line was difficult. I was so worried that he was going to be scared and not want to leave me, but he just hopped out of the car with the director and never looked back.

I cried all the way home.

What in the world am I going to do when he starts Kindergarten???? :)

Does a two-year-old really understand the difference between a restaurant and a playground?

2009-08-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was browsing some recipes online when I came across this one that looked rather yummy. In a rare moment of having a fairly stocked refrigerator and pantry, I was pretty sure I had all the ingredients on hand to make it and thought I might try to put it together that night. It’s a pretty close replica of a dish at Outback that both Kenneth and I love, so I thought it would be a hit.

Only one problem.

The more I thought about that dish, the hungrier I got for the real thing.

So I called hubby at work and told him I was craving Outback and even though a trip out to eat was not exactly in our single income budget at the moment, could we please, please, please go? He laughed at me, came home from work, and off we went.

Now let me preface this story by saying that we never know how these restaurant adventures are going to go. We’ve drastically cut down on going out to eat since the baby was born because usually one or both of our children are crying or acting in such a way that a) it is definitely not a restful, relaxing experience, and b) we are afraid we are ruining the restful, relaxing experience of other paying customers.

So we were fully aware that things could go awry. But we took the chance anyway.

MISTAKE NUMBER ONE.

So we get to the Outback. We sit down in our booth. So far, so good. Benjamin is coloring on his kid’s menu with the crayons provided and Emma Claire is happily sucking on her thumb and smiling at the world.

Then Ben dropped a crayon.

He started to crawl under the table to get it, and since this has happened a couple of times before with no incident, I let him.

MISTAKE NUMBER TWO.

I realize that it is taking him a few seconds longer than usual and look down under the table to see what is going on and all I see are the undersides of his sandals as he begins army crawling his way under our booth and UNDER THE NEXT BOOTH WHERE PEOPLE ARE EATING.

So since he is still in earshot, I very calmly and quietly ask him to come back to mommy.
He turns and looks at me and as only two-year-olds can, says, “No!” and turns back around and starts eyeballing the woman’s shoe that is two feet from him.

At this point I quickly realize HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM. So I lift my head and calmly explain to his father what is going on. I might have said something like, “YOUR SON is crawling under the table and YOUR SON is about to start playing with someone’s shoe and YOUR SON won’t come back.”

My loving, ever-supportive husband starts cracking up laughing and since it was contagious, I start laughing too. We just aren’t sure what to do and well, laughing seemed like the only thing to do.

So we are sitting at our booth laughing our heads off while our son is off playing with someone else’s shoe UNDER THEIR TABLE. Yes, we won the Parent of the Year award, didn’t you hear?

So then I very calmly tell Kenneth, you have to GO GET HIM! And he says, “HOW??? Do you want me to go over, interrupt those people’s dinner and simply reach under that lady’s skirt and retrieve our son?”

Yeah, PARENT OF THE YEAR AWARD!!

So I look down under the table just to check again and guess what? Benjamin is NOT THERE! He decided that caressing the lady’s foot in the next booth over was not so much fun after all and headed out again on his army crawling adventure. He’s now about five booths down from ours, and has stopped under the table of yet ANOTHER FAMILY.

At this point, we are trying not to panic and cause a scene and of course our waiter chooses this exact moment to come up and take our order. And since we don’t want to prolong our misery and be at this restaurant much longer than is absolutely necessary to wolf down our ALICE SPRINGS CHICKEN, we hurry up and order while our son is off gallivanting with who knows what shoe or leg or hairy big toe.

So my husband does what every good parent would do in this situation, he calmly gets up from our table, walks down the row of booths, looks under each booth until he finds Benjamin, and bends over (with his rear end in the air, I might add) and tells Benjamin if he will come out he can have a piece of candy.

PARENT OF THE YEAR AWARD, PEOPLE!

So ever the sweet two-year-old who loves candy, Benjamin accepted the bribe and came out from under the table.

So then the lady with the shoe is leaving and says, “I didn’t even know he was there!” And then an elderly couple walks by and laughs at us and says, “They do grow up someday!”

I think they were at a table that was directly across from the booth that Kenneth had to bend down under.

Hey, that rear end sticking up in the air was the highlight of my evening, too.

The Yard Diaries: Part VII (The Bobcat Keeps Going, and Going, and Going...)

2009-08-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

So where did I leave off? Oh yeah. The bobcat arrived. Georgia red clay. Fascinated little boy.

At the end of each day, the guys that were working in the yard parked the bobcat, cleaned up their tools and left for the night. It was a welcome relief for our ears to have a break from the deafening noise of the bobcat engine.

Then early the next morning, the crew would show up again ready to work. One of the guys would crank up the bobcat and away it would go.

These guys worked hard. They cleared the back yard of all the ivy (and anything else that was green) in about a day and a half.

Then they moved to the front yard. They used the bobcat to pull up quite a few stumps and scraggly bushes and then tackled the driveway. In the picture below, it may look as if these two guys are just standing around watching the bobcat do all the work, but they are actually resting. They would each take a huge sledgehammer and pound on the driveway until the concrete broke apart. Then the bobcat would scoop it up and move it to a pile next to the street. Those two guys pounded and pounded on that concrete all afternoon.

You can see in this picture the big trailer they used to haul away all of the yard debris.

And here's a picture that shows how much was actually going on at once. To the far right, you can see the bobcat loading the concrete pieces into a huge dump truck to be carried away. In the middle you can see the trailer I mentioned above. On the left you can see the logging truck that came to pick up the trees that had been cut down.

It was quite a spectacle at that moment. Neighbors were starting to come outside and stare, folks were out walking dogs and would stop and take a good look, and of course, since it was early evening, we had tons of people coming home from school and work driving by to see what all the commotion was about. For months afterwards, I would introduce myself to neighbors and they would say something like, "Are y'all those folks who did all that work in your yard a few months back? You were the talk of the neighborhood for quite some time!"

And that, my friends, is how you become famous in the suburbs. Hire a bobcat.

Shirtless Littles

2009-07-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

Anytime Kenneth keeps the kids, I usually come home to find them both in nothing but a diaper. In Daddy's own words, "I don't do clothes."

The Yard Diaries: Part VI (The Bobcat Arrives)

2009-07-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

If you ever need poison ivy removed from your yard, call this guy:

Better yet, call THIS guy:

For those of you who are not from Georgia, THIS is what red Georgia clay looks like:

And whether you are from Georgia or not, THIS is what a fascinated little boy looks like:

More red Georgia clay and Bobcat work coming in the next post....

This is what happens when Daddy is in charge...

2009-07-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

June was incredibly hot. So this week, we've been thankful to have a few unusually cool days. We took advantage of the lovely weather today and spent some time outside with the kids. Kenneth carried Emma Claire around while Mommy weeded a few flower beds and Benjamin ran around and played.

At least, that's what I thought was going on.

At one point, I looked up from my weeding to see this:

Keep in mind that these are ACTION SHOTS.

In other words, my two year old was driving my five month old in a MOTORIZED VEHICLE.

And Daddy? Daddy was laughing his head off!

Hey, at least he remembered to put their seatbelts on, right?

Beauty Queen

2009-07-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Could she be any cuter?

Beach Trip

2009-07-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

In early June, we packed up and headed for the beach. I remember the days when Kenneth and I would load up the car for a vacation - we would throw in a couple of suitcases, maybe an ice chest and a few beach chairs. This time around it took me a solid 30 minutes just to figure out how to fit everything in the trunk without leaving somethig behind.

And I still didn't get everything in the trunk. I had to pack some stuff in the back seat around the kids, too. When we finally arrived in Florida, we looked like one of those clown cars that you see at the circus where the doors open and everything just falls out.

Benjamin was not a big fan of the waves, but he did like digging in the sand.

As you can see, Emma Claire enjoyed the beach too.

Benjamin LOVED the pool. There was a kiddie pool where we stayed that was only about two feet deep and he had the best time playing in it.

Mommy and Emma Claire liked the kiddie pool too!

The Yard Diaries: Part V (The Snowball Effect)

2009-07-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

Once we decided that the Magnolia had to go, we had a couple of tree companies come out and give us estimates of how much they would charge to remove it. It wasn't the cheapest tree removal job in the world, since the tree had tons of huge limbs and was so close to the house. However, since most of the tree companies were having a difficult time getting work because of the economy, they offered to grind all of the stumps that Lumberjack Larry and Krazy Kenneth had left during the Chainsaw Massacre and remove a couple of other ivy-covered trees at a very discounted rate.

Since we knew that the Magnolia needed to go before it harmed the house or the septic tank and we also didn't want to live with all of the stumps in the backyard (also a potential danger if someone fell on them), we decided to go ahead with one of the companies for the tree removal and stump grinding.

But then we got to thinking.

(Always a bad thing, right?)

If the tree company was going to tear the yard up bringing in all of their equipment, grinding the stumps and cutting down the trees, we might as well have the ivy removed at the same time. If the yard was already going to be a mess, it made sense to try to clean up as much as we could all at once.

AND, if we were going to destroy the yard even more by having the ivy removed, this would be the best time to tear up the driveway and replace it, right? I mean, we really wouldn't want to clean up the yard and have it looking great, just to mess it up again in a few years when replacing the driveway, right?

And, if we were going to tear the yard up completely like that, then we would need to plant some sort of new grass, right?

This brings a whole new meaning to the words SNOWBALL EFFECT.

See how we talked ourselves into all of that?

See why I called it that DARN Magnolia? She started all of this!!!

Motherhood

2009-05-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

Sweet smiles. Sloppy kisses. Messy faces. Spit bubbles. Sleepless nights. Lego towers. Runny noses. Poopy Diapers.

Lots of poopy diapers.

Motherhood has changed my life. I love these two little souls more than I ever could have imagined and I am thankful for every day that I am able to spend with them. Who would have thought that I could learn so much about the world through the eyes of a two-year-old? And who would have thought that I would be thankful for the peace and quiet of a 3 a.m. feeding?

Motherhood. The most tiring, fantastic job in the world.

Happy Mother's Day to all those who have changed poopy diapers. It's a blast, isn't it?

The Yard Diaries: Part IV (That Darn Magnolia)

2009-04-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

(To read Parts I, II, and III, click here.)

Kenneth and his dad had cleared our backyard of all the overgrown bushes and small trees that they could manage and now we weren't sure how to proceed. Kenneth didn't want to attack the poison ivy on his own and there were all the stumps to deal with, as well as the old driveway. We talked about renting a stump grinder ourselves and trying clear the poison ivy as well, but neither of us were crazy about the risk of a huge case of poison ivy on ourselves.

Then a woman saved the day by forcing us to make a decision.

A beautiful woman.

A beautiful, grand, southern woman, who, in all her glory, had stolen my heart many months ago.

This woman I'm speaking of was the gorgeous Magnolia tree in our backyard. Oh how I loved that tree! We had a Magnolia at our old house and I loved how wonderful the blooms smelled in the spring. All winter, I thought about how much bigger this tree was and how I couldn't wait to smell her blooms in the spring.

Except for one problem.

My darling husband, in his continual examination of our backyard, realized that she was FAR to close to the house. Apparently, the root system of a tree stretches as wide as that tree's limbs, and this tree's limbs were definitely hanging over our roof, which meant that in all likelihood, the roots were headed for our foundation. Oh, and the septic tank was in that area too, so we had another reason to be worried.

That gorgeous specimen of a tree had to go.

To be continued...

The Yard Diaries: Part III (What Now???)

2009-04-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

(To read Part I and Part II, click here.)

So although I was highly doubtful, Lumberjack Larry and Krazy Kenneth did clean up the mess in the backyard. They used Larry's four-wheeler and trailer and little by little, cut the trees and bushes into manageable sizes and hauled them to our front curb.

One of the perks of living inside the city limits of our small town (aside from paying higher property taxes) is that the city sends a crew around every few weeks or so to collect yard debris that home owners leave at the curb. They use it for mulch around the city properties.

After Kenneth lined our curb from end to end and about four or five feet high, it was quite a job for the city crew to collect all of our debris. They came out to our house and did that twice -free of charge! We were definitely thankful that we didn't have to find somewhere to dump all of that extra wood, and doubly thankful that it was able to be recycled into mulch in our city parks and properties.

So, after the backyard was cleared of the mess, we weren't sure what to do next. Although Lumberjack Larry and his equipment had been a HUGE help, he and Kenneth were not able to grind the stumps left over from the treese that they cut down. Kenneth was also not sure how to attack and clear the poison ivy and there was still the problem of the broken driveway.

So what now??

Emma Claire - Two Months Old!

2009-04-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Benjamin and I took Emma Claire to her two-month old well check up with the doctor this week (ten days after her actual two-month birthday). She is doing great! Here are her stats as of Monday:

11 lbs. 8.5 0z. (75th percentile)

23 inches long (75th percentile)

Head cir. - 15.5 inches (50-75th percentile)

She is such a sweet little cuddle bunny. Every morning she greets us with a smile and she loves to coo and "talk" back to us. She especially loves to watch her brother - whatever he may be doing! She is a great eater and sleeper and has added so much love and joy to our family. We are so thankful for her life!

Smitten

2009-04-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

Two out of every three beats of my heart are for these two little angels:

(The third heartbeat is of course for their hot dad)

I mean really, aren't they adorable? I love them so much!

This is why we ate out so much when I was nine months pregnant

2009-04-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

Oh my. I only have a second, but there was no way I could let this go by without sharing it with the internet world.

My husband just asked me how to turn the stove on.

We've lived in this house for eight months now. Eight months have gone by without my husband EVER having turned the stove on.

Anyone else think that is a little crazy?

Just had to share. :)

The Yard Diaries: Part II (What Happens When the Hormonal Post-Partum Woman Sees That The Backyard Has Been Destroyed)

2009-04-04T19:54:00.001-07:00

(If you have not read Part I of the Yard Diaries, please do so before reading this)

So all throughout the day, I had been inside resting with our newborn baby, while Kenneth was outside working in the yard with his dad and Benjamin. I had heard the chainsaw going quite a lot, but in my sleep-deprived state of mind, I didn't realize what was going on.

That evening my mother-in-law came over to check on the guys' progress and I went outside to meet her. When I rounded the corner to the backyard and saw that virtually every small tree and bush that they could possibly cut down had in fact been cut down, I was surprised to say the least.

Lumberjack Larry (my father-in-law) and Krazy Kenneth had really outdone themselves.

My end of the conversation went something like this:

HOW IN THE WORLD ARE YOU GOING TO CLEAN THIS MESS UP?

and...

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HELP ME TAKE CARE OF THE CHILDREN WHILE YOU CLEAN THIS MESS UP?

and...

I THOUGHT YOU TOOK OFF WORK TO HELP ME TAKE CARE OF OUR NEW BABY AND HER BROTHER AND INSTEAD YOU ARE DOING YARDWORK???

It was not one of my finer moments, ya'll. I'll blame it on the hormones and sleep deprivation, but the backyard was really a mess.

Little did I know, it was only going to get worse...

(to be continued)

I Need A Bubble Bath

2009-04-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried to cram too many errands into one morning and by the time you got to the grocery store and made it all the way to the meat department the baby was crying because she was hungry and the toddler was yelling because he was bored and everyone in the store was staring at you and where in the world are those darn chicken breasts anyway?

That has never happened to me. Never. Ever.

And have you ever pushed a grocery cart loaded down with groceries and two screaming children out of the grocery store only to find that the partly cloudy skies that you left when you went in the grocery store have now turned into a raging thunderstorm and you and your kids and the groceries all get wet except nothing gets as wet as you because you have to load the kids in the car, put the groceries in the trunk and return the cart to the store and on your way back a truck runs through a puddle and splashes you from head to toe?

Never happened to me. Never. Not once.

And have you ever gotten into the car - wet and drippng everywhere - only to crank up the car and look at the clock and realize that it is WAY later than you thought and now you have to get home, feed the baby, put the toddler down for a nap and unload the groceries all simultaneously?

Haven't ever experienced that one either. Never ever.

I had a great morning, ya'll. Please excuse me while I go make a pan of brownies and eat the whole thing in hopes that it will lower my blood pressure back to a reasonable place before hubby gets home. Sound like a good plan to you? :)

The Yard Diaries: Part I (The Chainsaw Massacre)

2009-03-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

When we bought our house nine months ago, we immediately made a huge list of things we wanted to do to improve it. Before we moved in, we did a lot of surface-level renovations on the inside of the house, but the outside was another story.

Our house was built in the early 70's and not much had been done to the yard in the 35+ years since then. It was an overgrown mess...filled with poison ivy, tons of overgrown bushes, and brown spots where grass didn't seem to want to grow. In addition, the driveway was a disaster, with lots of broken places worn so thin that you could see the ground through them. Benjamin tripped and fell on the broken areas almost every time he played on the driveway.

So what to do? We dreamed and drew plans and talked and thought and talked some more all winter. It was an overwhelming task to say the least.

So then, while Kenneth was home on paternity leave when Emma Claire was born, we had some unseasonably warm February days. Kenneth and Benjamin spent some time outdoors while I rested with Emma. A few days of trying to keep Ben out of the poison ivy and comforting him after he fell on the driveway was enough to spur my husband to action.

So, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He called up his dad and asked him to bring over his chainsaw.

And, this, my friends, is what happens when you give my husband a chainsaw:

To be continued...

More Birthday Fun

2009-03-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Benjamin's birthday week ended with a fun trip to the zoo last Saturday and his birthday party at the park later that afternoon. Each year, Kenneth takes a group of students to the State Math Counts Competition at the zoo and we get to go along. This year was especially fun because Benjamin was so much more interested in all of the animals. He ran from each group of animals to the next, making all of their sounds as best he could. It was so funny!

Later that afternoon we joined the grandparents, aunts, an uncle, and cousins at Stone Mountain park for a fun birthday celebration. We ate, played, and Benjamin ran around with a smile on his face the entire time. He LOVES playing outside and loves it even more when there are fun people to play with. Thanks to everyone who came - we had a great time with you!

Special Thank You

2009-03-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

A special thanks to my dear friend Toni in California for the sweet care package she sent us! Benjamin loves his new book and sippy cups and Emma Claire is sooo cute in her new outfit! By the way, although I love dressing her in pink, it was so nice to put this on her and change it up a little! :)

THANKS SO MUCH TONI!!!! Wish you were here!

Birthday Celebrations

2009-03-17T11:14:00.001-07:00

There is an art to stretching out the celebration of a birthday. Although a birthday is in fact only on one day, it is much more fun to celebrate for several days or even a week if you can manage! We are trying to teach this skill to Benjamin. What, Nana and Papa want to see you on your birthday? Tell them to come the day before, then you'll have two days of celebrations! Oh, and NEVER have your party on the same day as your birthday, then you've stretched it out to three days of celebrations! And those cupcakes, we'll eat them all week!

So, currently we're on day three of our week-long celebration. Nana and Papa came over on Sunday and took us all to a local Mexican restaurant (Benjamin's favorite) to celebrate. And, although they will also be coming to Benjamin's party next Saturday, they couldn't help but bring gifts. The ball and bat were a hit!

Then we celebrated the actual day of his birthday with lots of yummy favorite meals like home-made blueberry pancakes for breakfast, chicken nuggets for lunch, and grilled cheese for dinner (I know - it was a carbfest, but you only turn two once!). We also of course had to have cupcakes! We were supposed to share them with our neighbors who have two little boys that play with Benjamin, but one of the boys was sick. :( We'll hopefully have a cupcake raincheck at the end of the week.

Then Grandmommy and Granddaddy came over with cookies and lots of hugs. I'm sure Benjamin is wondering why every day is not so exciting!

Emma Claire thought it was very exciting too...

We'll keep you posted as we continue our celebration throughout the week - ending with a party at the park on Saturday. We can't wait!

Birthday Boy

2009-03-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today, my life changed forever.

I became a mommy.

Our precious little boy was born March 16, 2007 at 8:33 p.m. weighing in at 8 lbs, 0.5 oz. and was 21 inches long. I will never forget the moment he was born - the feeling of awe and wonder that came over me - and really, that feeling has never left. It's a miraculous thing to birth a child, and just as miraculous to watch one grow up.

Benjamin is such a delight to our hearts. He is curious, inquisitive, energetic, sweet and smart. He loves puzzles and books and his favorite thing to do is chase someone around the house. He kicks a ball with his left foot (just like Daddy!) and loves to play outside. His vocabulary is growing every day and it is a joy to hear him express himself, like when Daddy uses the blower to blow the leaves outside, he says, "Daddy NOISE!"

The past two years have flown by and have blessed us beyond measure. We can't wait to see what the future holds with our precious little boy.

Late To Church

2009-03-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

I read a myriad of blogs from day to day (although lately my reading has been a little less due to the two munchkins in my life!) and today I cracked up at one of my favorite mommy bloggers. For those of you who are moms, you will TOTALLY understand what she is talking about. And for those of you who are about to be a mommy, this might prepare you a bit for what is ahead! :) Check out her post here and have a great day!

Snow Day!

2009-03-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

It began snowing around lunchtime today. By the time Benjamin woke up from his afternoon nap, we had about an inch of snow on the ground. He ran to the window and shouted "Outside! Outside!" We got the hint and headed outdoors for a fun afternoon in the snow.

Sweet Siblings

2009-03-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

Benjamin loves Emma Claire. He asks every day if he can hold her, and once he does, he doesn't want Mommy or Daddy to take her out of his lap! He gives her kisses all the time, and always wants to touch her. We can't wait until she is old enough to appreciate his adoration. :)

Emma Claire's Birth Story

2009-02-17T17:09:00.001-08:00

Isn't she cute? :) Here's the story of her birth:

As most of you know, I was more than ready to have this baby. Throughout the last month of my pregnancy, I kept thinking that she would come early, but week after week passed and still no baby!

The week she was due, Kenneth and I both woke up Monday morning with nesting on the brain. On Monday and Tuesday we cleaned and organized the house, caught up on all the laundry, stocked the refrigerator, and waited on our little girl to arrive.

Early Wednesday morning I woke up several times between 3 and 5 a.m. feeling uncomfortable. I was having some mild abdominal cramps, but they weren’t really that painful, and they certainly weren’t regular. Between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. I began to have regular contractions that were about 10 to 12 minutes apart. I was able to relax and breathe through them just fine, so I decided not to wake Kenneth yet and let him rest as long as possible. Just before 7 a.m. Kenneth seemed to be waking up so I said, “Guess what? You aren’t going to work today. I’m in labor!” He said, “Okay, can I go back to sleep now?” (I think he was still half asleep, but we laugh about his response now!) Soon after, he realized what was going on and did get up.

We spent the next couple of hours moving around the house getting things ready. I loaded some relaxing music on my ipod, we fed Benjamin breakfast and got ready to leave. My goal was to stay at home as long as possible before arriving at the hospital. I wanted to try to have this baby naturally, and I knew that laboring at home would be much more comfortable and less intimidating than the hospital.

We left our house around 9:30 a.m. and at that point I was having contractions about every 7 to 8 minutes and they were still very manageable. Our plan was to take Benjamin to Kenneth’s aunt’s house and then head to the hospital. However, we had only been gone from the house about 5 minutes when my contractions began coming much faster – about 4 to 5 minutes apart – and they were much more intense. Kenneth quickly made the executive decision that we didn’t have time to go to his aunt’s, so we called her to ask her to meet us at the hospital to get Benjamin. She met us about 20 minutes later, and we left Benjamin with her and headed on to the hospital.

By the time we checked in, it was about 10:30 a.m. and the nurse checked me and said I was 6.5 to 7 centimeters dilated. I was so excited! Contractions were coming about every 3 minutes and were certainly difficult, but I was handling them just fine. I was listening to my music and breathing through the contractions while trying to relax. I even told Kenneth that although the contractions were very painful, that labor was not as difficult as I had expected it to be.

Famous last words!

Just before 1 p.m., I was feeling a little pressure, so the nurse came in to check me again. I thought that surely I would be close to pushing the baby out. She checked me and said I was at 8 centimeters. I was so disappointed! The nurse was a bit surprised that I was not further along as well, so she decided to check me during a contraction. She said that some moms who have already given birth before would not be fully dilated in between contractions, but during a contraction, would be fully dilated and could start to push. As she was checking me during the next contraction, my water broke.

The next 15 minutes were the most intense of my life.

As soon as my water broke, I began shaking and sweating uncontrollably. My contractions became incredibly intense and painful and there was barely a break between them. I remember thinking and feeling with all of my heart that this labor was going to kill me. (I even told Kenneth and the nurse this and bless both of them – they didn’t laugh at me!).

At this point, I thought I was still at 8 centimeters, and, in my mind, I was not going to progress very quickly. I could not bear the thought of being in this much pain for an hour or two, so I begged for an epidural. Soon after, the anesthesiologist came into the room, I sat up on the edge of the bed and he began putting the epidural in. As I lay back down on the bed I remember feeling an overwhelming urge to push and I yelled “SHE IS COMING!!!”

At that point, the room sprang into action. The nurse began yelling for someone to go get the doctor and they began preparing the room for the baby to be born. I was already pushing by the time the doctor arrived, and about ten minutes later, Emma Claire was born! So, funny enough, the epidural never kicked in and I did have the natural childbirth that I had wanted.

I am so thankful that I was able to experience Emma Claire’s birth the way that it happened. Although it was certainly painful, and almost unbearably so during the last fifteen minutes before I began pushing, it was not more than I could bear. And if I had realized then that I was going through transition and was progressing as fast as I did, I would have never asked for the epidural. I was able to push much more effectively than if the epidural had worked, and Emma Claire was born quickly as a result. The whole experience was incredibly special and I can’t thank my husband enough for his steadfast support. Emma Claire is a precious gift from God and we praise Him for her life!

Entertainer of the Year

2009-02-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

You may have missed this performance at the Grammy's the other night, but it was by far the best one of the evening... :)

(I'm not sure why this came out so dark, but hopefully you can still see the little man in action!)

Emma Claire

2009-02-08T18:44:00.001-08:00

We welcomed the newest member of our family on Wednesday. She weighed 8 lbs and 8 oz and was 20 inches long. Here are a few pictures of her birth and introduction to our family. She is the sweetest little baby and already we can't imagine life without her! More pictures and her birth story to follow in a few days once we've had a little more rest. :)

Emma Claire:

Big Brother and Little Sister:

Our Family:

Proud Grandparents:

The Addams Family

2009-01-16T15:59:00.000-08:00

It's an old wive's tale that the more heartburn a pregnant woman has, the more hair her unborn child has.

If this is true, then my little girl must resemble Cousin Itt.

I have had THE WORST heartburn over the past several weeks. It feels like someone dumped a gallon of gasoline down my throat and then tossed a match in. And Tums? Although I've been popping them like candy, they only take the California Wildfires in my esophagus down to a raging campfire. They help, but not entirely.

So imagine my surprise when I laid down to sleep last night and had NO HEARTBURN. Zero. Nada. None.

This either means that my child somehow found some clippers and shaved her head in utero or THE BABY DROPPED.

I'm betting on the second one, and it's a little scary. THE BABY DROPPED? That means she is getting ready to make her debut. Can I handle it? Can I handle two children under the age of two?

We'll see. My Doctor says I'm already two centimeters dilated...so it should be soon!

Out of the Crib...Next Stop: Harvard

2009-01-15T19:28:00.000-08:00

While Kenneth was on vacation from work over Christmas and New Year's, we finished getting Benjamin's new room ready. Although he was sleeping fine in the crib in the nursery, his little sister will soon be needing that room, so we figured it would be easier to go ahead and move him now.

Benjamin LOVES trucks, so we decorated the room accordingly. And thanks to Papa, we did not have to buy new furniture. My dad gave us the twin bed and dresser that he used as a boy. They are in great shape and we are so blessed to have them. Thanks Dad!

So far, Ben seems to like his new digs. He loves pointing at the trucks on the wall and he loves his "dig doy ded." That's "big boy bed" for those of you who don't speak two-year-old. He's only fallen out once in the three weeks or so that he's been in the new bed and it bothered us much more than him - he was back asleep in about one minute flat.

Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment...

Future Smoothie King

2009-01-03T17:19:00.000-08:00

Blame it on the fact that I'm 35 and a half weeks pregnant and very hormonal, or the fact that I consumed A LOT of sweets over the holidays, but every night around 7:00 I crave something sweet. So, in order to keep my pregnancy weight-gain somewhere below what a mommy elephant gains and to keep myself from making ONE MORE batch of sugar cookies, I've taken to blending up some home-made smoothies. Since discovering that I can make a pretty darn good smoothie, I've become a smoothie queen, and my little prince seems to like them too...

Tuxedos and Christmas Music

2008-12-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

I am a self-proclaimed music geek. I was in musicals and sang in choruses all through middle and high school, have been a member of several worship bands in college and thereafter, I play an instrument, and most geeky of all...I was the drum major of my high school marching band.

That will explain why I found this group so entertaining. Not only super-talented, they are especially funny and I only wish I could have seen it in person.

Thanks to my dear friend Toni for the link!

Conversation Between an Eight-Months-Pregnant Woman and the Unfortunate Soul Who Lives With Her

2008-12-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Me: Ugh. It is just too hard to bend over anymore. Honey, can you put my socks on for me?

Hubby: (Taking the socks and half-laughing, half-grimacing) It's only December! What are you going to do for the next eight weeks when I'm not around to put your socks on?

Me: Well, I guess I could wear them to bed the night before...oh, that won't work. I'm already sleeping in a puddle of sweat every night due to these raging hormones. Socks keeping my feet warm will not help that situation.

Hubby: (Bending over to put on the first sock) Here's your problem - your socks are too tight! You just need to get bigger socks.

Me: Oh, yeah. That will solve all my problems. Bigger socks will clear up my pregnancy acne, ease my backace and make this basketball on my stomach SOOO much easier to maneuver around. Why didn't I think of that?

Hubby: Just trying to help... Can I get you anything else?

Me: Can you give me a back rub, a pedicure and a new wardrobe that has all XXXXL clothes so I don't have to wear the same pair of pants for the next eight weeks?

Hubby: How about I just go get you your shoes?

Me: Perfect!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-12-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

In an effort to save some money and cut down on dinnertime stress, I have been trying to take the advice of several online mommy bloggers and stick to a written menu each week. The key word is trying. Several times my plans have been interrupted by a mid-week pregnancy craving or a phone call from hubby saying, "Can we go out to mexican tonight?" Sigh. I had vegetable soup lined up on the menu, but what seven-month pregnant woman is going to pass up cheesy, gooey Mexican food being served to her instead of standing on her feet making dinner while a wild toddler races around her legs? Mexican wins every time.

So in an effort to hold myself more accountable, I'm going to join the ranks of the Menu Plan Monday mommy bloggers and show you my meal plans for the week. I'll only focus on the weeknights as the weekends are always hit and miss. On Saturday and Sunday we try to eat easy stuff like soup and sandwiches or leftovers.

So here are the dinner plans for this week:

Monday - Enchiladas

Tuesday - Chicken and broccoli pasta

Wednesday - Quiche and fruit

Thursday - Tuna patties with steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

Friday - Dinner out with hubby's parents to celebrate his birthday!

So far so good. Sort of. I cooked the enchiladas tonight as planned. Three meat enchiladas for Kenneth, two chicken for me, and two bean - one for my lunch tomorrow and one for the picky toddler that I live with (hoping he would eat it). So we sat down to eat and Kenneth ate half of his first enchilada and said, "Is this ground beef or deer meat?" It was deer meat that his dad had given us - to me, tastes just the same and best of all, doesn't cost us anything.

Kenneth refused to eat the rest. His philosophy is that ground beef is USDA inspected and the deer meat is not. "Those deer could have eaten trash off the side of the road or drank water from a polluted stream," he says. Groan. There goes my plans for the 10 lbs of deer meat in the freezer. I gave Kenneth one of my chicken enchiladas and he ate that, as well as leftover dressing from Thanksgiving, so the meal was not all lost. And best of all? Benjamin actually ate half of his bean enchilada. THAT is a successful meal.

Halloween

2008-11-19T11:32:00.000-08:00

On Halloween, a little puppy showed up at our house, complete with two sets of grandparents, an aunt and uncle, and a Mommy and Daddy. A fabulous time was had by all!

We joined the annual neighborhood Halloween parade, in which all of the neighborhood kids dress up in their costumes and take a walk through the neighborhood. It was so fun!

Then we returned home to grab a quick bite to eat before heading out to trick-or-treat. How many adults does it take to lead one toddler around on Halloween? Apparently, eight! This was Nana and Papa's (my parents) first time trick-or-treating with a grandchild, and they were almost more excited than Benjamin. I said, almost, right? Even at only 19 months old, Benjamin figured out what trick-or-treating was all about very quickly. He loved dropping the candy in his bag and he definitely loved his first bite of chocolate later in the evening!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-11-19T11:23:00.001-08:00

The night before Halloween, Daddy and Benjamin carved our pumpkins. All of my kindergarten teacher memories came rushing back as I remembered doing this with my students and allowing them to squish the inside of the pumpkin with their hands. Benjamin lived up to my expectations - he of course loved it!

We set out four pumpkins - one for each member of our family. We carved the Daddy and Mommy pumpkins and then also had a pumpkin for Benjamin and his soon-to-arrive little sister. Although, for some reason, Benjamin thought his little sister was a ball, so he kept throwing her across the yard.

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

Last month we took a family trip to a farm just outside of Athens and had a blast. Most importantly, we took the obligatory pictures of Benjamin in the pumpkin patch. Life would not be complete without these pictures every October!

We took a hay ride, in which Benjamin repeated "tractor" over and over again - he had just learned this new word, so our timing was perfect! Then we decided that Daddy and Benjamin would ride the little cow ride. Only, Benjamin had other ideas. He wanted to ride all by himself and even though I was terrified he would fall out, Kenneth convinced me that he would be fine. It was only after Benjamin fell out, broke his neck and was rushed to the ER that Kenneth learned to trust my instincts. At least, that's what I thought would happen. Quite the contrary...he was fine. My little boy is growing up so fast!

Step One: Compose the first blog entry

2008-11-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not so sure why it has taken me so long to start this blog. I've been reading blogs forever, composing my own (imaginary) blog entries almost as long, and dreaming of keeping friends and family updated on our lives for awhile. Finally, at the encouragement of my husband and others (who I think really just want to see cute pictures of that adorable little toddler that I live with)...here it is!

More entries to follow...