The Name Game

It's no secret that we have really struggled to name this little boy. I've written about it before. I think Emma was named almost immediately after finding out she was a girl. My husband has this "thing" about waiting until we know the gender to even begin to brainstorm names. Why waste brainpower on names we won't even use is sort of his logic. Anyway, girl names? No problem. I have a big list of lots that I love and Emma was a quick easy decision that we both loved. 

Colson was a little harder. I tend to like more classic names..I know, I know, Colson is NOT a classic name. Some days I still can't believe I chose a name so unique. My favorite boy name is Jack. It was my Granddaddy's name so there is a special family connection to it for me and I just think it's a sweet little boys name but also transitions well to an adult name. The only problem is that my hubby doesn't like it at all. When we were expecting Colson, he put his foot down firmly on Jack and so we brainstormed other names. This time around, he seemed a little more open to it. So I stopped thinking of other names. I took the stance of....I'm open to something else if you have something else you like, but I didn't sit around thinking of other names because I had my name I loved. And so that's where we were for months. No definite names but not really talking or thinking about it either.

Every once in a while people would ask and he would always bring up that he didn't reeeeally like the name. Eventually I started to feel bad (badly?) I started to put myself in his shoes and figured if he had some name that I really didn't like, I'd hate to not like my child's name and be forced to name them that. So I went back to The Book. I came up with another list of possibilities. Unfortunately, our tastes are on opposite ends of the spectrum.  My so-so potentials he didn't like and I didn't like his suggestions. We had a couple names that we didn't mind but weren't convinced of and left it at that for several weeks. Nothing seemed right. One night Jarred sat down with the list and said, ok let's do this. We're picking one. 

And all we did was cross off all the names and agree that none of them seemed like the one. Haha so frustrating!

But.....

I THINK we have the name. I wasn't planning on sharing it but this time around I feel like I need some encouragement. It is definitely a compromise and I'm still not in love with it. The more we say it and the more I see it, it's growing on me. So give me some love and share your (happy) thoughts on his name.

And as always...if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. And if no one leaves any comments, I'll cry and think we picked an awful name. Haha just kidding...but I will wonder your thoughts!

So without further ado....

Connor Jack VP (VP being our last name obv not random letters in his name haha)

Getting Ready

It's amazing how much things change with each pregnancy. The love, anticipation, anxieties...those all remain, but you grow a little more reasonable (I'm pretty sure my hospital bag was packed at 27 weeks with Emma), life is a bit more hectic, and it's just different.
The past few days I've been realizing the reality of how quickly this baby's arrival is coming. I know I still have plenty of time (I'm 33 weeks, 2 days) but other than pulling out the bin of boy clothes, I've done nothing to really prepare for this baby. Poor little guy still doesn't even have a name! No diapers, nursery not ready, clothes aren't washed, no bags packed, no plan for the other kids, Oy vey.
This week I'm planning a target run with a friend due a few days behind me to stock up on the necessities. I'm also hoping to get Colson moved to his big boy room in the next week or two so I can start getting the nursery newborn ready. My nesting instincts are needing some order and plans and organization...,and a name wouldn't hurt. :) but at the same time, I am much more aware this time around that at the end of the day, it'll all work out. We'll have a baby, the other kids will be well taken care of, and the little guy won't mind if his onesies aren't organized in the right spot.
So I'll do my best to get everything ready over the next couple weeks and try my best to not stress over the small stuff. Easier said than done :)

Oh hey

Dear Blog,
Remember me? I kinda suck at keeping up with you. Don't take it personally. I'm equally bad at washing windows and cleaning out the fridge. It's not you...it's me.
Love,
Stranger Danger

Dear Baby coming soon,
7 weeks? Yikes. You are coming way too fast and not soon enough all at the same time. Please be kind on your momma and come right around your due date (maybe a bit early), be an easy baby and fill us in on what to name you. K thanks.
Love,
Your crazy mom

Dear firstborn son,
Stop climbing on everything and touching everything you shouldn't before I lose my mind. I can't even think about handling you and a newborn without sprouting gray hair. On the other hand, your talking? Is too much cute for words. I could eat you for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Love,
Mama

Dear Fleas,
Be gone in the name of Jesus. From our house (thankfully you almost are), from my husband's work clothes, from the dog, from the yard, from my life. You make me hate farm life. And when momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
Cold regards,
The vacuum lady

Dear everyone reading this blog,
Don't think I'm a filthy housewife bc we've dealt with fleas. You try living on a dairy farm with a husband who comes in and out multiple times a day and then talk to me. I clean all the time. No judgies.
Love,
The inconsistent blogger

Dear baby weight,
Not too much more ok? And please be gone really fast and turn into lean muscle while you're at it. Great.
Love,
The pregnant lady sneaking cookies

Ok my family needs lunch so I guess that's enough for today. See ya in a few months for a baby announcement. :)

Twister

Saturday was forecasted to be 100+F. We decided last minute to pack a picnic lunch and spend some time out on the river. It was a fantastic way to beat the heat. After Jarred milked in the afternoon, he wanted to take his friend and his Dad out again. I opted to stay home with the kids. We got some cleaning done, put the kids down and hunkered down to clean out the fridge. (nesting much?) It was starting to lightning and thunder and before long, Emma came downstairs afraid of the storm. I saw the guys pull in with the boat so I told her she could wait up until Daddy got in. I noticed the sky was a weird red color and actually took a picture all the while trying to remember that saying about red skies and sailors and what a red sky means! Jarred's friend Alan brought their daughter in the house while they finished cleaning things up. Pretty soon after that the skies opened up. And not like a little summer shower...I'm talking torrential downpour. I ran outside to grab Jarred's work boots off the front porch and saw the rain swirling around in heavy winds. I moved the girls into our family room and the winds quickly picked up. The sound was weird...And then I watched our rain gutter be ripped off our house. The lights flickered off and on a few times and then we lost power for good. At this point Emma is panicking. I moved the girls to where there weren't any windows and was trying my best to speak really calmly and remind her that we are safe, together and that Jesus is our protector.
At that point our earthly protector came flying in the house ordering us to get in the basement because it was a real tornado. He scooped up Emma while I ran upstairs to get Colson from his crib. We all made it down to the basement and Jarred was all pumped up in adrenaline telling us what was going on outside. Emma's eyes were getting wider and wider so I reminded Jarred to keep things on the calm side. Literally within minutes the storm had passed and we were able to come out of the basement. Since we live on the farm,, Jarred (when we were sure it was safe) was outside hooking up the generators and assessing the damage.
Although it hasnt been officially determined, we are pretty sure it was a tornado that passed through. Whatever it was, there is a lot of damage to our farm as well as the neighbor's. Alan, Jarred's friend lost most of his barn roof, we lost a barn roof and had lots of doors bent, trees down everywhere, and of course our gutter.
Jarred's been working like crazy on cleanup and I've been working like crazy on dealing with the aftermath at home aka processing through Emma's fear. She doesn't want to sleep by herself at this point do we're working through that.
We are SO beyond thankful for our safety and protection. Although there is a lot of cleanup to be done, it could have been much much worse. It's also been a really cool thing to watch the community come together in the cleanup effort.
Crazy, right?

ABCs of Me

I'm still recovering from a vacation to Canada (mostly without my husband) for a wedding and Canada Day and the Fourth of July. Can I just say that going out of the country with two toddlers, being pregnant and doing the patenting thing solo while surrounded by others watching you discipline, encourage, maintain schedules, etc is exhausting. So this may be a cop out post but it's all I've got in me and let's face it, I think they're actually fun. So here are the "ABC's of Me"!

A. Age: 26 and yes, I'm older than my husband by almost a year.

B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore you dislike: scrubbing the floors and the shower

D. Dogs: one outside farm dog, Daisy. I'm not a big fan of slobbery big dogs but the kids adore her and she protects them like it's her job so she's alright in me book.

E. Essential start to your day: more sleep? You'd want more sleep too if your kids woke at 5:30am. Ha, Im not a coffee drinker so I guess Id say some quiet snuggle time on the couch before getting the day started. And this pregnancy? A Ham and cheese omelet.

F. Favorite colors: Green

G. Gold or silver: I used to be silver all the way but I'm learning to love gold too. Depends on the outfit I think...

H. Height: 5'5"

I. Instruments you play(ed): Played piano for about 5 years when I was younger. Flute for a year. I'd love to play the violin.

J. Job title: homemaker, mommy, wife

K. Kids: 2 "outside babies" (Emma: 3 and Colson: 1) and one "inside the belly baby" due in November.

L. Live: Pennsylvania

M. Mom’s name: Jacquelyn (a combo of her parents' names Jack and Lynne)

N. Nicknames: My family nickname is Punk. Punkin turned into Lil Punk and then just Punk.

O. Overnight hospital stays: The births of my kids plus once during my pregnancy with Emma when I was in a minor accident and had to be monitored for a while and the discovered at 27 weeks I was having contractions.

P. Pet peeves: Oh man, I'm sure there are so many but I'm struggling to come up with them off the top of my head. Lack of consideration for others maybe??

Q. Quote from a movie: "swiper no swiping! Swiper no swiping!" what? You're not familiar with Cowgirl Dora? Ha

R. Righty or lefty: Right.

S. Siblings: Two younger brothers

T. Time you wake up: Let's not talk about it again mmmmkay?

U. Underwear: I don't understand this one... do I wear it? Yes.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: ha, in my case it'd be easier to rephrase this 'vegetables you do like': corn and potatoes. Period. I never outgrew the veggies are gross phase. I do like cold veggies and salads but my preferences are embarrassingly similar to small children rather than dignified adults. :)

W. What makes you run late: when I fail to prepare in advance. List making and day planners keep me sane and on time.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Lots. As a competitive gymnast I broke lots of bones...both feet, wrist, stress fractures in my back and then I broke my nose senior year playing powder puff football.

Y. Yummy food you make: i have a few really yummy dishes (according to the hubs..actually he is always complimentary of my cooking) stuffed shells, baked spaghetti, cheesy stuffing chicken, pulled pork BBQ are a few of his fav meals.


Z. Zoo animal you like: ummm monkeys? penguins?

Sweet Baby

On Thursday morning, Jarred and I left the kids with his parents and headed off for our ultrasound. I had barely slept a wink the night before...in anticipation and because I didn't want to oversleep. Jarred's aunt is an ultrasound tech at one of the local hospitals so it's always special to have her do our scan. She checked all the organs, growth and development and we rejoiced at the miracle of a perfectly healthy baby. I wasn't fearful about anything but like I said before I wanted my focus to be on what an amazing work God has created rather than just WHAT IS IT?!!!? I didn't want to miss the opportunity to praise Him for such a miracle. I should clarify too that this baby would still be a precious miracle and God would still be worthy of praise even if we discovered something wrong. But thankfully, this babe looks perfect. On the tiny side, but very much perfect.

And although I would have loved for Emma to have the blessing of a sister, we are THRILLED to add another little boy to the family. (we'll just have to keep having kids until she gets a sister, right? Ha) Meet our newest little guy. Now...onto figuring out a name! :)

Random late night thoughts

I don't really have anything to share, ponder, or talk about but I'm in a blogging mood and when the mood strikes, I better act upon it!

On Thursday morning (at 7am baby) we get to spend some time peeking it at this newest little babe. Read also: WE (hopefully) GET TO FIND OUT WHAT WE'RE HAVING! As cliche as it sounds, I really just want to see a healthy happy baby. Im feeling a bit convicted about how often our perspective about this appt is just the GENDER reveal when really, it's such a miracle to reveal all those intricate tiny human organs working in perfect unison and growing and developing. That's what I want my focus to be on, and the gender will just be icing on the cake. :) I can't believe we're already about halfway there. To be honest, it's freaking me out a bit. My kids are at super busy, into everything (colson) and super trying and emotional (Emma) phases and I so don't feel emotionally ready to add another newborn to the mix. When we found out we were expecting, I didn't feel ready but I thought meh, I have 9 months to get to that point. And now I'm all....crap, we're halfway there and I still don't feel any closer to being ready! Ha good thing I know deep down that this little life was meant to be a part of our family and since God purposed it, He will be faithful to give me the strength, wisdom, energy and grace to get through...with victory! Remind me of that in a few months mkay?

Raising girls is not for the faint of heart! Emma has been into princess princess princess everything for several months. Recently however, she's been wanting to change outfits several times a day. it didn't hit me how serious it was getting until she had changed twice and when she asked a third time I let her pick between two dresses. I told her this was it...we weren't changing again today (aka mommy doesn't need any more extra laundry thank you very much!) as soon as she got the dress she picked on she had a full blown meltdown that "this dress is handsome! It's not beautiful! I don't look beautiful!" I'm talking tears, heaving, on the floor meltdown. My heart sank and I thought...already Lord? At three she is already associating her beauty based on what she's wearing?!?! The Holy Spirit was quick in guiding me and I immediately knew that I couldn't allow her to change because that would reinforce that her original dress wasn't good enough and that something else might be better. We've talked a lot about what makes people beautiful (having a heart like Jesus, being kind and thoughtful and serving, etc) and she will tell people that her heart is beautiful but she still judges the clothes I pick out for her and will tell me very matter of factly that things are "handsome" and not beautiful. Lord help me when she's a teeny bopper.

So depending on what this little cricket is, one of our kids will be moving out of their room and we'll keep it as a boy or girl nursery. Then our big extra room will be the " girls room or the boys room" I really want to paint the room a light gray. Like baby elephant gray. Im imagining either soft pink curtains and details or blue and green details. Jarred however isn't on the gray bandwagon. He can't imagine why I'd paint a room the "color of a rain cloud."

We just got Emmy Lou all signed up for swim lessons today. Since we have a boat and spend a good portion of our summer out on the river AND we're spending a week on vacation on a lake, we thought it would be wise to get her some lessons. She LOVES water and is getting really bold when we're out on the river so it seems like it's time. This marks our first organized activity. First swim lessons, next we'll be filling out nits with ballet and soccer and piano. My babies are growing up!

Ok it's bedtime. See ya Thursday (maybe) to hear the exciting news. :)

Emma's Birthday Interview

Oh hey. Note: I have no clue why it's scrunching this whole post into one paragraph and not spacing it out like I typed it. It's obnoxious but I can't figure out how to fix it. Sorry! I'm going to skip right over the whole acknowledgement that yes it's been a long time since I blogged last. No apologies. We've been busy beavers. Doing things like celebrating somebody's THIRD birthday! How I have a three year old is beyond me. Craziness. Anyway, I did a little interview with my girl and recorded her answers verbatim. Some answers surprised me, some I knew, and some...well, I'm not sure she was paying attention to the question. She's a very smart girl, I promise! Haha 1. How old are you? (holds up 4 fingers) two! 2. What makes you happy? Smile 3. What makes you sad? Like this (points to her frown) 4. What is your favorite food? Um, bunny rabbits. At this point I repeat the question. Obviously she must have misheard me. She knows what food is. 4. What is your favorite food? Um, bunny rabbits. For the record, we do not, nor will we ever serve bunny rabbits in this household. I was beginning to doubt whether this interview was a good idea. She's 0 for 4 at this point. 5. What is your favorite thing to do? Um, swing! 6. What is your favorite tv show? Max and Ruby 7. What are you really good at? Doing matching games 8. Who is your best friend? Nana 9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Change Colson's diaper She's got high aspirations. So here's to my three year old. She's hilarious, analytical, very sensitive, shy, smart, a slight perfectionist, very tiny (24lbs of tiny to be exact), girly yet tough, the best big sister around, talkative, helpful, and oh so very loved. It's been an amazing three years having her in our lives and I eagerly await all that God has in store for her life. See y'all in a few more weeks. ;) clearly that blogging app isn't helping my frequency. So I'll pop in if I'm itching to share something (like, maybe.....baby VP #3's gender which we find out NEXT WEEK!) but until then....Lots of love!

Maybe this will help

My friend Amanda recently told me about the blogger app. You'd think I'd realize that of course there was a blogger app but people unless you tell me about it, it probably won't cross my mind. I just don't spend my day thinking about potential apps. Anyway, I just downloaded it and although I don't really love typing from my phone, I'm thinking this may help me post more frequently. No promises though! I do have two toddlers and a nauseous pregnant exhausted body. ;)

So since I last posted, we've had a few big things happening.
-My due date got moved back to November 11th. I kind of expected that it'd get pushed back (since I was still nursing at the time, I knew ovulation timing is iffy). But two weeks back is a bit of a bummer. Not a big deal, just a longer time of nausea. Jarred was pumped bc November is a better time on the farm. I'm always aiming to please.
-Colson turned one. Time is fa-lying!! I can't believe how fast his first year went by. I typed up a big post about him turning one but didn't have uploaded pictures so it sits as a draft. In short, he is the best little guy around. Easy going, happy, walking like a pro, finally eating and sleeping...we love what he brings to our family. :)

Those are the major updates. I tried to put pictures in here but I don't know how to actually put them where I want them so pardon the random bday cake face picture if it's out of place. I'm hopeless. Haha stay warm friends!

Perfect peace

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3


I'm not very good at keeping up with this blog, but I wanted to share this story of God's faithfulness and peace in our lives.

Months ago, after a prayer service at our church, Jarred felt strongly that we were not to be using the birth control pill anymore. I was excited to see the Lord working in my husband's heart and quick to support him in his conviction. Colson was just a few months old and although we both knew we wanted more children, I was content with life with two for the time being. I knew that given our history, there was a pretty good chance that we would get pregnant. I spent a lot of time praying about this and felt strongly that I knew it was right to trust my husband's leading. I had such a peace, knowing that God was in control and I could trust Him.

We found out in early March that I am expecting our third baby. I could easily have given into logical thoughts like....3 babies three and under! I'm not sure I can do this! But I know what a unbelievable gift each child is and so I'm choosing to thank God for this little life and trusting in His plan for our family.

Shortly after finding out I was pregnant I started having thoughts that I would repeat my moms history. (she had a girl, 22 months later a boy....just like Emma and Colson....and then she had two miscarriages) I knew these thoughts weren't rational and just based in fear and I prayed through them. Several weeks later, i had to do some intense wrestling with the Lord when my nausea totally went away. If you know my history, I am usually nonstop nauseous and sick for almost 5 months. This was NOT normal for me and I started to worry that my fear was coming true. I was at a place where I knew that I would welcome this little life and I also knew that if we did miscarry, God was going to protect my heart. It was going to be ok but I just wanted to know what was going to happen. The unknown was driving me crazy! I rested in that verse from Isaiah. Two days later my nausea returned.

Yesterday I had my first OB appointment and we rejoiced in hearing the baby's heartbeat. All seems to be well and we are looking forward to welcoming baby #3 in October!

I like it, I love it

(total side note: did you know that Jarred and I danced to that Tim McGraw song for our first dance at our wedding. We had a fun choreographed dance that was a surprise to everyone so unfortunately isn't not even on video, but it was a blast)

So...this weather? Wow.

I like it, I love it, I want some more of it! As long as this doesn't mean it's going to be 180F by June, I'm loving this early Spring weather. It's amazing what a warm breeze does for your soul. We've been playing outside on the swing set nonstop and I'm pretty sure we'll be there all summer. My son cries nonstop every time we have to come inside. He goes to the door and just cries his little eyes out. Poor kid.

We desperately needed some fresh, warm air medicine round here. After Colson's 9 month visit, he developed double ear infections, then he had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. Then we all got the stomach bug. And then the kids came down with nasty sounding colds. I took them both into the doctor and they both had ear infections and terrible colds and Colson had bronchiolitis on top of that. Ugh, enough already right?!? We are finally almost back to healthy and I'm hoping it stays that way.

So, we're soaking up the sunshine and playing in the fresh air. Thank you Lord for these beautiful days! Life is grand :)

Life lessons

Recently, my bible study girls and I have been digging into Titus, especially the verses that speak about how older women are to teach certain things to younger women. It's been a really interesting, life giving study. From that frame of mind, I started thinking about what big things I want to teach my daughter (and my son). Sometimes it's easy to get lost in the day to day toddler discipline (don't lick that, keep your underwear on, you have to eat something other than cheese today) and this was really fun to think about. I know most of these things we will talk about when they are much older, but I also want my (our) life/lives to lead by example and I want to be intential about walking out what I preach. :)

So....here's the top things I want my kids to learn.


For my daughter
-The most important thing you can ever learn is how precious you are to Jesus. He thinks you are the most beautiful one. He died for you. He is for you, always. He will never ever leave you. Understanding this will give you a foundation no one can shake.

-The world will try to convince you that beauty is on the outside, that modesty is dorky, and standards should be flexible. Those are lies.

-Middle school is awkward for nearly everyone. This too shall pass.

-Sometimes when you're feeling grumpy, a shower, pretty make up, and your favorite outfit will do wonders to improve your mood. When all else fails, try chocolate.

-Look (and wait) for a man who cherishes you. Don't ever settle for anything less. He should be a strong, Godly leader, respectful, hardworking, and fun. He will be perfect for you, but he'll never be perfect. Don't try to change him. It won't work and you'll both be miserable. Fight hard for your marriage. It's a precious gift in life.

-Have fun every day.

-Comparing yourself to others is a slippery slope. Someone will always *seem* prettier, smarter, a better cook, a better wife, etc etc. Learn to love who God created you to be and recognize unfair expectations you are putting in yourself.

-When your man asks whats wrong and you respond "nothing" he really doesn't know you're lying.




For my son
-You were created to be a strong, victorious warrior for the Kingdom of God. You were also created to be a lover of Jesus. They don't contradict each other. You can be both. Strong and sensitive. Powerful and tender. Leader and follower. I think finding this balance is key.

-The world will try to convince you that lust and pornography are normal. They are not;in fact they are sinful and disrespectful to women. As a man of God, you are called to a higher standard and (hear me loudly, son) you CAN and WILL walk in victory over these strongholds.

-Learn your way around the kitchen, pick up your wet towel, put your dirty clothes in the hamper, and clean off the sink after shaving. Your wife will thank me for this someday.

-Look (and wait) for a woman who knows who she is in Christ and carries herself with grace and integrity. Someone who makes you want to be a better man yet adores you for who you are.

-Do what you love and makes you feel alive.

-Your (immature) peers will try to convince you to join them in their wrong doings. Standing up for what you know is right makes you a man. Succumbing makes you a coward. Be a man of strong character.

-A stay-at-home momma's job is equally as hard and important as yours.


That's all I've got so far. As fun as it was writing it all out, it also really made me again recognize how desperately I need Jesus to guide our parenting. This is a tough job y'all! Rewarding? Ooooooh yes, but also? Pretty hard work.

What am I missing? Anyone else got some life lesson thoughts?

Feeling the Love and the Nausea

You guys! You made me smile the other day reading your sweet comments. Thanks for the love!

Also? this cute kid turned 10 months a few days ago. Is he handsome or what?

There wasn't much else to smile about these past two days as we got hit with the stomach flu. Colson started it off, then Emma followed suit, and I was down for the count yesterday. I have SO much admiration for single mothers. It's Jarred's early week which means he's out the door at 2:45am and needs to be at least semi-rested before then. So....two nights ago, he fell asleep on Emma's bed and she woke him up at 9:30 by throwing up all over him and the ground as they ran to the bathroom. I heard the cries and quickly sent him to bed and spent the rest of the night in a sleeping bag on her floor armed and ready with the puke bucket whenever I heard her whimpering. Poor thing barely got any sleep, and around 2:30am, her cries started waking up her brother each time. So, I sat on the floor in her room, holding her exhausted still-sorta-sick brother, rubbing her back and praying they'd both go back to sleep and be healed. I'm not ashamed to say that there were several times I just wanted to cry and call my own mom to come help. But we survived.

I feel like I earned another notch on my mom belt. Two kids up throwing up in the night? check.

Then I tried to eat breakfast, and that was a mistake. For the rest of the day, we sat on the couch, watching tv and sleeping off and on between runs to the bathroom. It was not.fun.one.bit.

I feel like I should earn like 3 notches on my mom belt for yesterday. Taking care of two sick kids while sick yourself? check.

Thankfully after a full night's sleep (hello 8:30pm bedtime) we woke up feeling much better and able to keep food down.

Who's ready for Spring with me??

I'm loving it.

1. My skinny jeans - took me a LONG time to jump on this band wagon. I've never been in love with my legs and wasn't sure I could pull this look off. For the record, I very well may not be pulling it off but I feel pretty trendy and my hubby loves them so hey, I'm working it.

2. My little guys' babbles - "uh oh" has officially become his first word and he says it all.the.time.

3. This warmish winter. The weather this year has proven to me that I could move to a place where it doesn't drop below 50 and be completely happy. Ok, I take that back...for me to be completely happy the weather also shouldn't go above 85 in the summer. I'll take a perfect warm 75 with a tiny little breeze anyday...not too hot, not too cold. :) oh, and no humidity? k, thanks.

4. Surprising the Mr. with Courageous for Valentines Day. He checks our online bank account constantly which eliminates the possibility for me to purchase things easily without him knowing. I amazingly was able to keep our grocery bill to $30 this week so I could get some cash back to use to go treat him to his new favorite movie without appearing out of the norm. :) I love giving gifts. Oh and yes, there isn't much food in the house this week due to said grocery bill. He informed me that he was eating chips for lunch today because there wasn't anything to eat. (which was a lie because I came downstairs and made us grilled cheese) By "nothing" he meant, we didn't have leftovers to heat up or sandwich fixings - his staples. haha

These aren't really things I'm loving, but random thoughts bouncing around in my head.

-It hit me the other day that Emma is turning THREE in a few months which means, technically, she could go to PRESCHOOL this Fall. That's weird to me.

-Colson is starting to walk. Like, four or five steps back and forth between us. That's crazy to me.

-I need find a cute pair of wedges or flats to wear in my sis-in-laws wedding in June. The wedding is in a park soooo heels are a no no, any suggestions on where to look?

Ok, now that I've sufficiently bored all three of you who read this, I'm off to scavenge our cabinets to find something to make for dinner. In case you haven't heard, we have NOTHING to eat.

But, we have a great movie to watch! Priorities, right??

Oksana Baiul

This post has nothing to do with Oksana Baiul. Other than it has to do with ice skating which made me think of Oksana Baiul and a funny little story I was reminded of the other day. Everyone knows the song, "I'll Stand By You," right?? I'll stand by you, I'll STAND by you, so that nobody hurts you, I'll stand by you....

well, I have this terrible problem of getting lyrics wrong. I used to think the lyrics went like this:

"Oksana Baiul, OkSAAANA Baiul...hope that nobody hurts you, Oksana Baiul...."

I know.

Aren't you just blessed to know me? :) haha, don't answer that.

Anyhooooo, back to the point.

While most of America sat glued to their TVs Sunday evening, anticipating the Super Bowl, we took this cutie ice skating for the first time. You know I'm Canadian so getting on the ice good and early runs deep in my blood. 

For the record, the game was on in the "warm room" and it was technically a Super Bowl party, but we just skated for a bit and then headed home for our bedtime routine. She did AWESOME! I have to admit, I was leary of how she'd do. I love her to pieces, but I know my girl and she tends to frustrate easily. (i.e. collapse in a heap on the floor crying out "I can't DO IT!" when things don't go per her plans)

I'm pretty bummed this cute little shot is blurry.

She looooved having her Daddy or Papa hold her between their legs and skate really fast. Before long, she was taking steps on her own. I was thoroughly impressed and proud. We only had a few of these moments....

Ahh the drama of being 2 years old and learning something new....

And those tiny little skates? to.die.for. So cute!

Speaking of cute,

I could nibble on those cheeks all day long. This goober is growing so fast. He could totally walk if he was brave enough to just go for it. He just learned how to wave bye bye and sign "all done." He is driving me crazy with his sleeping habits at night....He still isn't sleeping through the night. Recently between his ear infections and teething and allergic reactions, we've gotten off of the sleep training bandwagon, but we need to get back on and fast. Momma needs sleep. He also isn't a big fan of eating. We've just now started to turn a corner with baby food and I'm able to get him to eat most baby foods, but he won't go near table food. Someday when he's a teenager sleeping all night and day and eating us out of house and home this will all be a distant, funny memory. :)

Truth be told, I love this stage. Sure the lack of sleep, disciplining, whining, picky eating, yadda yadda gets to me, but most of the time.....I have to pinch myself because I just feel so blessed to be where we're at. I'm home (where I've always wanted to be) with everyone I love right here with me. My love is right outside working hard and my babies are in my arms. I know all the stages will be fun, but right now it's nice to not have soccer practice or homework or pta meetings or anything to deal with. We're just....together. I'm not sure if that makes any sense...it's hard to put into words what I feel. Just mostly happy and content.

And that's how I hope to stay. When the whining starts to bother me, I just send her out to the calf pens and lock her in. :)

Blogger Fail

So....I'm no good at consistently updating this blog. It all becomes way too overwhelming to me as the fun times and memories pass by and I think in my head how many things I could update you on but then the post would be 800 times too long to read and I try to think about which highlights to post and then I remember that the pictures are still on my camera and I don't have time to upload them and....

see, it's so overwhelming it's a run-on sentence. Karla and Courtney...feel free to lose all grammer respect for me. :)

So, let's do a bullet style, rapid fire post, shall we?

-I am OBSESSED with Downton Abbey. It's classy, entertaining, dramatic, beautiful, ahh I love it. If you haven't seen it yet, you should.

-Colson's been on a mission to make sure we visit the pediatrician each week. Poor kid. He had his 9 month well-baby visit 3 weeks ago, a double ear infection 2 weeks ago, and last week he broke out in a rash from an allergic reaction to his ear infection antibiotic. Thankfully I think he's almost 100% better and I'm praying we'll take a break from visiting the doctor. As much as it's frustrating, I also have a really strong sense of gratitude that 3 doctor visits is out of the norm for us. There are so many little ones who spend their days in and out of the hospital/doctor's offices and I'm so incredibly thankful that we have healthy, happy kiddos.

-We took Emma ice skating last night for the first time. The little skates? Couldn't be cuter! Her tiny little steps on the ice? I was dying from all of the cuteness. She actually did really well!

-I didn't watch the Super Bowl. (gasp!) I saw a bit of the Half Time show out of the corner of my eye as I played some cards. Thought it was weird, personally.

-I entered us (Jarred and I) in a Valentines Day contest and we made the finals!!! If you love us (and if you don't, why are you reading this blog?), would you help and vote for us?? The winners get a professional photo session, an overnight stay at the Lancaster Arts Hotel and a dinner at JJ Jeffries.  All you have to do is go HERE and "like" our photo.  We are the farm cartoon picture with my corny poem. Note: you can only vote for one photo (preferably ours!)....otherwise your votes don't get counted.

-It's a very little known fact that I'm actually quite skilled at writing corny poems. If you need my services for a Valentines Day card for your loved one, just let me know. :)

-I'm on a mission to try to de-country-ify my house. I'm just over the country style and really wanting a clean, fresh place. Buuuuut that's really hard when you live in a country farm house. My current struggle is my fire place mantel. It's a huge brick fireplace with a large slab of rustic wood for the mantel. I can't exactly just slap something really contemporary up there without it looking like a fish out of water. Any suggestions?


Until next time (aka until my next random, catch-all update)....so long, beautiful friends!

Picture Catch Up - Part 1

Since we got our iPad, I rarely turn on our laptop. I pulled it out tonight and thought, I'm going to upload all the pictures I've taken recently and write a blog post. As I started selecting some of my favorites, I realized...holy cow, a LOT has happened since I've written any sort of update. This is definitely going to have to be a two part post (at the very least) or else you'll never make it to the end of the post. Let's get started, shall we?

In early December we went on a long weekend trip to our family cabin with two other families. One family has a daughter who is Emma's age and the other family has a daughter who is Colson's age. So, we had a fun getaway with friends! Colson loved Rylee's jumper. :)

...did I mention my little guy started crawling? It's pathetic that he's two days away from turning 9 months old, started crawling at 7 months and I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. At this point, he's super fast and is pulling up on everything. He actually would prefer to be walking all day long. He reaches for your fingers every time you hold him to help him walk. I pulled out our walker, thinking that he'd struggle to control it but he is a pro! He walks all over the place by himself! Crazy!!

Before we knew it, the Christmas season was in full swing. Emma loved helping her Wadi (Grandma) build this gingerbread house. She licked every.single.piece of candy before she stuck it on. haha yummm

Look at my girl sitting at the "kids table" with her cousins! We celebrated Christmas with Jarred's family on Christmas Eve. It was so relaxing to spend the day together...we had a mid-morning brunch, opened gifts, took naps, and then had a big ham dinner mid afternoon. Since both of our families live very close, our holidays are often very rushed and busy, trying to see everyone and do everything and Jarred still has to work so this year was such a nice change of pace!

On Christmas morning, we spent time just "us" before church. I have to record this because it was just too funny. Don't let this picture fool you, Emma was the "Christmas bummer" this Christmas morning. Jarred got in from work around 6:30am and came up to our room to wake her and I up. (she had crawled in with me around 5:30am) We told her we could go downstairs to open her presents and her stocking gifts but she just cried and told us that she "just wanted to watch a show!" ummm ok? We got downstairs and I put her bulging stocking in front of her, sure that actually seeing the gifts would get her excited. But no. She slowly pulled the little things we had in her stocking, cracking a smile every once in a while.  Then it was present time. We had 2 little gifts and one big box (the dress up trunk in the back of the picture) She opened the two little ones and then we were SO excited for the BIG ONE! Come on, everyone knows the biggest present is always the best and most exciting. My unpredictable little Ebenezer turned to us and said, 

"It's too big for me. I don't wanna open it."

**silence** 

Daddy teases her...."Should Daddy just open it then?" Surely this will get her. 

"yeah...."

haha Seems my girl really is MY girl. Both of us take about an hour of waking up time before we're really ready to talk and be excited and interact. :) Needless to say, it wasn't really how I pictured Christmas morning to go down.

Another funny story:

We started to talk with Emma this year about what Christmas is really about. We explained that it's a celebration for Jesus' birthday. After she heard that, her next question naturally was, "Well are we going to have a party for him?" She wanted to have cupcakes and hotdogs....perfect party food in her two year old mind. Since we were planning to have lunch on our own anyway, we thought...hey why not?!?! Jarred's family invited a single woman from church over and she wanted to bring the cupcakes and ice cream.  She picked out what she *thought* was a tree and asked them to write Happy Birthday Jesus on it. She got some weird looks from the bakery people....what kind of tree is red anyway? It wasn't until she arrived that she figured out it was actually a santa hat. haha A Santa hat, Happy Birthday Jesus cake. :)

Then we headed to my parents' house for more fun. Do you think Colson had fun or what? I love that happy little guy! and this girl?

She had a great Christmas too. :) We are so so incredibly blessed to be surrounded by so many people we love (and love us!). 

ok, that's it for part one. Stay tuned for more another day!