Saturday, May 31, 2008

"Put My Pants On, By Myself!"

This is what I was greeted with when I got Brady up from his nap on Friday: "Put my pants on by myself, Mommy!"

My initial response was: "very good!" I always like to encourage Brady when he has done something on his own.

Any then, my mind quickly went into another mode...ahhhh!!!

Me (aloud): Wh-, why did you need to put your pants back on? (actually shorts - but I did not correct him, that was not what I was concerned about!)

Me (In my mind): Why were they off? OH, NO! Are his shorts wet? His sheets wet? What type of mess am I going to find?????

I quickly looked at him - his shorts were on perfectly - and then I scanned the bed and saw his diaper. Open. Laying on the bed! It was soaked! Then I took him off of the bed and saw that his shorts were dry (oh good, he must have just done this!), and then I told him that he should never take his diaper off...only mommy and daddy does that, etc.

I did not yell at him, but the way that I responded to the situation definitely made a point to him - the poor little guy cried!

After a new diaper was put back on, (my point was made that he does not take his diaper off) and many hugs later...I thought to myself - he did a great job of putting his shorts on and pulling them up all by himself! Go Brady!! :)

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

A FREE DVD Rental!

If you buy Smuckers - I buy the jars of hot fudge for the homemade ice cream cakes - then this may be a good deal for you.

Buy two Smuckers products, fill out the form that was in your Sunday paper two weeks ago, or here and get a free rental (up to $4) - this is good at places like Hollywood video and Movie Merchants, and they may also accept the DVD cash at Circuit City, Borders and Boscov's (to name a few).

Anyway, you can request this twice and it is good through 10/31/08. Just thought that I would pass this along. :)

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

And Then There Were Three...

I thought that I would be satisfied with two...however, last Thursday it became three...three naps for the baby, that is! :)

This has definitely been a journey for me and my smiley little guy, but I am so thankful that he is finally on the schedule that I believe is best for him (and me too!). Three naps are a good thing!

I am still so amazed at the difference that I see in him now compared to a few weeks ago. After we moved him into his new room (he was in our room in a pack-n-play until we got his room painted and new blinds put up) and he was no longer swaddled - he was not sleeping during the day like he was just a day before the move. It took almost 3 weeks to get him back to sleeping 3 naps during the days again, which was very tiring - but it was worth it!

I suppose any trial in our lives is really hard to work through, but when you get to the other side of the trial and look back on it, you realize that all of the sweat, tears, and prayers that went into it was worth it! Thank you, Lord, for helping me through this! I know this will not be the last trial that I will face, but it is a good reminder that I need to always keep my eyes fixed on Him in all things.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Happy Blog Day to Me!

Today marks my one year anniversary for my blog! Hooray!

Lately, I have not made many entries, but having two young children can really take up a lot of your time...I would not trade them for anything!

I would like to note that our youngest started to take his 3 naps yesterday, and then repeated that again today!!! So, it just took him a little time to get used to his new room, the crib (he was in a pack-n-play before that), and not being swaddled anymore. It was definitely a hard 3 weeks for me, but I am so thankful for all of the people that were praying for us, and for the Lord's help in all of that!

I have discovered a few things about myself through blogging that I am going to share:

1. I love to get great deals. I will not drive all over creation for them, but I am really enjoying all of the deals that I have been able to get at CVS. I have also been able to be more frugal at Giant as well - using coupons for items that I want, and just learning to work the deals! :)

2. I have really enjoyed learning more about some of my friends and meeting new friends through their blogs.

3. Although I am an outgoing person, I am also an private person too. There are many things that go on in my day to day that I do not blog about. Sometimes it is because I am too tired to blog or don't have time, however sometimes I choose not to because I do not want to be judged by others or I don't want advice in that area (just being honest). Some things are too personal and does not need to be on the Internet.

Okay, and to add some fun to the day, here are some things that you may not know about me:

1. I ate cow's intestines once when I was in Guadeloupe - my host family made it for dinner, and it was supposed to be a special meal...I was praying throughout the whole meal that I would not vomit during the meal or afterwards - the Lord answered my prayers! I would not suggest trying this - not too tasty!

2. When I was in kindergarten and my sister was in 4th grade, we were the same height! I was tall for my age and my sister was on the petite side. We were the same height for many years and shared clothes - people actually asked us if we were twins! (we really do not look that similar). Anyway, I am 4 inches taller than her now...but I "look up" to her and I always have!

3. I do like an occasional cup of coffee, but it really makes me thirsty!!! So, I do not drink it that often.

4. I like to watch the show Dancing with the Stars and this is the first season that I voted every week. I am very happy that Kristi Y. won!

5. I did not watch American Idol this season - just too many commercials and we do not have TIVO or anything else like that. I did watch the very end of the last show though to see the results.

6. We do not have cable or cell phones and when we record a show on TV (because we do have an antennae) we use a VCR because our DVD player is not capable to record things. Sometimes I feel like I am in the dark ages, but it is all for the sake of saving money!

7. We have been without a second working vehicle for about 7 or so months. Our Intrepid's engine is dead and we are praying that the Lord shows us what vehicle to purchase. We do not want to have to take out a loan for the car, so we have been saving our money to make that purchase. We know that God has something great in store for us, so we are just waiting on Him to show us!

8. My favorite ice cream is Turkey Hill's Eagles Touchdown Sundae - it is so delicious, but I am sad that it is a seasonal one! I have not found any other ice cream that is similar to this! :(

Well, it is getting late and I need to get to bed soon! Have a wonderful weekend!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

I LOVE this City!




You Belong in London



You belong in London, but you belong in many cities... Hong Kong, San Francisco, Sidney. You fit in almost anywhere.

And London is diverse and international enough to satisfy many of your tastes. From curry to Shakespeare, London (almost) has it all!

This was a happy surprise that London was my answer! I lived/went to school in England for one year (16 years ago! ok, now I feel old after writing that!) and I absolutely LOVED it! London is definitely one of my favorite cities. I LOVED doing all of the touristy things - and I ended up doing it by myself, because none of my friends were able to come with me at the time! I would definitely enjoy going back there again!
Thanks for finding this sis!

Sleeping and Naps

I have definitely gone through some more "trials" with this baby than I did with Brady, however, I love him just as much! :)

About two weeks ago, the baby started sleeping extended night - PTL! However, his daytime naps were not on the schedule that they "should" have been on...and there was a lot of crying from the baby and from me too! It has been a really tough 2+ weeks for me, but I feel that there has been a lot of breakthrough during this time.

There are many reasons that could have contributed to why there was so much crying and why the baby would not take his naps during the day - change of scenery, he was not being swaddled anymore, who knows what else! However, the good news is that he is finally feeling safe and secure in his new room and I think that we are also moving to two naps a day...which is a little "early" to do that...however, if that is what he is ready for, then it is fine with me! He is sleeping so much better...so the mommy is doing a lot better too! :) For those that I shared some of this with, thank you so much for your prayers! I really felt strengthened by them!

On another note, he had his four month appointment last week, and the stats are in:

Length 26 inches (90th percentile)
Weight 14 lbs 5 oz (50th percentile)

So, our "little" guy is on the road to being around 6'1" - no real surprise there considering Dawson's and my height! :)

And finally...he rolled over from his back to his stomach for the first time yesterday, and he is loving this new achievement! Brady and I were cheering him on as he was doing it! :)

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

A New Blog To Check Out

Some of you may have already found it, but I would like to let you know that The Ruda Family blog has been started!

I absolutely love Mama Ruda and her whole family too! We are so blessed to have them in our lives! She is definitely a wonderful friend and treasure too. She is stylish but not judgemental - I never feel inferior around her...she just likes me for who I am, not what I am wearing or how I look. She is funny and we have had our share of laughs, but there is also depth to her and we can talk about what is going on in our lives. She loves Jesus and I love her excitement that pours out of her when she tells me what God just did in her life. She is a blessing to me and I am excited that you will be able to get to know her too! (love you T.R.!)

Stop on over to The Ruda Family's blog. She has some beautiful photos that are posted of her little kids and her family.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

It was the Best of Times and the Worst of Times - part 1

Last week was a really good week and a really hard week too.

First, some of the good stuff:

Last Monday, our lil' guy finally slept extended night - he was 17 weeks! What does extended night mean? Well, I give him his last feeding around 7pm (or sometimes 7:30pm), and he sleeps until at least 6:30am! That totally rocks! Towards the end of the week, and last night too, he would wake up around 4:00am with a soaked diaper. Dawson, being the totally awesome daddy and hubby was the one to check things out with the baby, so that he would not suddenly think that it was mealtime again! After the diaper was changed, the lil' guy went right back to sleep! So, I am thinking that I might bump him up to a size 3 diaper at night - he wears size 2 during the day. I forgot to do that tonight, so we will start that tomorrow.

It is really late and I need to get my thoughts together on this, so I will write more - maybe tomorrow, if I get a chance, I just need some sleep!

Monday, May 5, 2008

Monday's Musings: Motherhood



Motherhood brings as much joy as ever, but it still brings boredom, exhaustion, and sorrow too. Nothing else ever will make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, for nothing is quite as hard as helping a person develop his own individuality especially while you struggle to keep your own. ~Marguerite Kelly and Elia Parsons

Ever since I was a little girl, I always knew what I wanted to be...a Mom! It was one of my dreams. I did not really know everything that was involved in being a mom, but I knew that I wanted it to be part of my life. My parents are wonderful and loving and I am so blessed that the Lord placed me in their lives to be their little girl. They have taught me so much about being a parent and I am so thankful to them. However, nothing can completely prepare you for being a mom, until you experience it for yourself.

I love my two little boys. They are so precious to me. I love to snuggle with them and hold them; tickle them and make them laugh. They are beautiful gifts from the Lord and I am so blessed that He chose me to be their Mommy.

Along with this joy, I have definitely experienced the exhaustion - especially in the first few months of the baby's life. I feel that I may not always think or speak clearly, but it all works out - eventually I will say the correct thing! Sleep is definitely a good thing...it is something that I should be doing right now, but I decided that I wanted to blog a little bit first. Last night, my little guy went for 10.5 hours between feedings! PTL!!! The last feeding was around 7:45pm and then he woke up at 6:30am!!! I was so excited and I am looking forward to consistency in this extended night sleeping. I know that I "work" better when I am well rested.

It has been so much fun to see how much Brady has grown up in the past few months - he loves letters and books and loves to learn. It has been fun to enjoy the little guy's smiles and to watch him turn over for the first time last Friday! Brady and I cheered him on! It was so much fun.

I am enjoying the journey of being a mom to two beautiful boys. There is so much to learn and so much to pray about and sometimes it can seem overwhelming, but I am thankful that the Lord is always by my side, helping me to discover all that He has created me to be as a Mom and as an individual, and to also discover the precious gifts that he has poured into my sons' lives. Part of who God created me to be is a mom, and I am thankful for these beautiful boys. Life would not be complete without them.

If you would like to participate in Monday's Musings or check out what other people's thoughts are about this quote, head over to TCC's blog and check it out!