The Name Game

We are still reveling in the fact that we are having a little boy.

This morning when Ada woke up, I told her again that she was going to have a little brother, and she responded, "sister." And I said, "No, you're getting a brother," and again she said, "sister," as if to correct me. She said it very matter of factly, like she was trying to be patient with me while she explained the facts. Honestly, I don't know if she knows what a sister or brother is, but it was quite the amusing conversation. I finally gave up, and I settled on teaching her to say John instead of Deuce (thank you, Scott).

I also have been thinking much about names and remembering the reasons why we chose the names that we chose. John Thomas was decided on before Ada was even born, back when we were so certain she was a boy.

John means, "God is gracious," which I love because obviously, my number one prayer for both Ada and John is that they would experience God's mercy and grace in their life at a very early age. It is, after all, what really matters. It is of eternal importance. (Thomas means, "twin," and I don't really have anything to say about that).

Ada means "noble," and Elizabeth means, "God is my oath." I looked up the word noble, and it is defined as, "having or showing qualities of high moral character." And of course my prayer is that both Ada and John would live lives of high moral character, but I mostly want them to understand that without the grace of God in their life, without his righteousness becoming their own, morals will be meaningless and empty. I want the grace and the morals to work together in tandem, you see? And by morals, I mean, I want the fruits of the spirit to be manifested in their lives. I want their lives to be a reflection of Christ and His life.

I did not choose their names because of the meaning, however.

Back when we began considering a name for Ada, I knew that I wanted to use a family name. I wanted to one day be able to explain who they are named for.

Ada is named after my grandmother's grandmother--Ada Chapman. Those who knew her called her Granny. And Elizabeth is my middle name, my mother's name, and my paternal Grandmother's name. It was an obvious choice. I don't know much about Ada Chapman, but I knew her daughter, Ella--my mother's grandmother. And, of course, I knew Ella's four girls--my grandmother and her sisters, so I have heard stories and seen pictures and read old letters. And now Ada carries on her name.

John is first and foremost named after Scott's dad, Johnny Thomas. He is one of the kindest people I have ever met, and he has been such a great dad to Scott and grandfather to Ada. Ada adores her "Pop." He is also still married to Scott's mom, and I respect that so much. I want my children to have a heritage of men who do what they need to do to stick with their wife and families. I am very thankful that my children will see that in both of their Grandfathers. Scott's first name is Jonathan, so John is also named after Scott. In addition to all of that, there are several Johns on my mom's side of the family who were very strong, Godly men. So, when I hear John, I think of a man of strength, so it seemed the obvious choice for my son.

And by the way, we were trying to keep it even. A name from my side; a name from Scott's side.

So, there is our explanation. The reason behind our name choices. And, yes, we had a girl name picked out, also a family name, through and through, but I will save that for later in life, in case we need to put it to use;)

I will close with a picture of the proud big sister. She has much to teach, John. Oh the mischief they will get into!!

It's A....

Boy!!!!!!!!!!!

John Thomas Moore (going by John) will be joining us some time in February, Lord willing, and we are thrilled, to say the least.

I just can't believe I'm having a boy.

And now I must, must, must get this tired little girl of mine into the bath and then to bed.

Oh the weather...and other ways this day is great

No news yet...just in case you were wondering. We find out at 2:00 today, and I think the beautiful weather outside is a good sign. I said it means that this baby is going to be an easy one. Scott said it means this baby is going to be a boy. Obviously, we are joking. But I will say that I like pregnancy in the fall much, much, much better than pregnancy in the summer.

I just want to dance around outside in the sunshine and the wind, don't you? It also makes me want to head straight to a pumpkin patch and pick out some nice, round, orange pumpkins for my front porch. Maybe we will add that to Saturday's schedule.

Do you want to know other reasons this day is great?

Well, a few weeks ago, back in August, Scott and I were driving home from church, and he was putting on his seat belt after pulling out onto the road. A policeman was also pulling out onto the road, and he spotted Scott in action. Sure enough, we were quickly pulled over. Once pulled over for the seat belt violation, Scott was also ticketed for an expired license and tag. (Note: they were expired by about a week, and Scott had already taken off the following Friday to take care of these things). Still, we drove away with three tickets. I thought we were both going to cry. Mainly because Scott had already been ticketed for the license and tag in the county where he works only two days before. We were talking around 700.00 worth of tickets. Not really in the budget for August (on top of the root canal).

So...Scott did have to pay the first set of tickets, but this morning he showed up for his court date and pleaded "not guilty" to the license and tag tickets. (Are you following me?) And the judge had mercy on him. He walked away paying only 15.00 for the seat belt violation, and we are overjoyed. We were fairly certain he would be paying over 300.00, so you can imagine the relief that came when he only paid 15.00. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord.

Now, I must get ready to go find out--will a girl or a boy be joining us? Who knows?

And while Scott and I are making the trek across town, Ada will be at Hannah and Grant's house, where I am praying she will take a nap. I am crossing my fingers (and seriously praying). Usually she spends the morning at the Harman's house, and I pick her up before her nap. Not today. We'll see what happens.

I'll be back later today, of course. Until then...

So tired.

We rolled back into our neighborhood at 9:00ish tonight, and proceeded to unload the car, get Ada into the bath tub and begin the bed time routine.

It is now 10:45, and Ada is still awake. She has a bug bite that is driving her nuts--bless her heart--and every time we think she is calmed down, she begins to cry hysterically again. I am dying to go to bed, so I am hoping sleep takes over soon.

The reunion has come and gone, and I was sort of a party pooper. The only thing I went to all weekend was the family picnic on Saturday afternoon. You see...I had big plans to go to the main event on Saturday night, but my pregnant self really just wanted to stay in my pajama pants, lie on Ann's bed, and watch the Auburn game, so I chose the latter. I reasoned with myself that I had talked to several people at the picnic, and I would be no fun at the party anyway because I was so tired. I really do hit a brick wall everyday around 7:00 pm, and it is hard for me to do much else but lounge around after that. It was fun to catch up with people at the picnic though, plus one of my close college friends and bridesmaids happened to marry a friend of mine from high school, and I had not seen her in two years, so I was especially excited to catch up with her. And she wasn't even a class mate. Ha.

I will be back tomorrow (maybe, tomorrow is three children day) to share about the rest of the weekend, and stay tuned because Tuesday we will announce if this little munchkin is a boy or a girl. I can hardly stand to wait for two more days. I so hope the baby cooperates and gives the camera a clear view. I think we have decided on both a girl and a boy name (the girl name is still a bit up in the air), so we will most likely announce that as well. And I have no feeling either way. After being so certain that Ada was a boy, I just can't decide what I think this baby will be.

Anyway, this post is rather pointless, really, but I wanted to stop by and say hi since I have been away all weekend.

Talk to you tomorrow, friends:)

What Shall I Render to the Lord?

With fall and the start of school, everything else begins to "crank back up" at church--community groups, discipleship groups, etc. etc.

This fall, my women's discipleship group (the one I am a part of, not the one that I own or lead) is doing a Tim Keller bible study on praying the Psalms. Well, if you have been reading this blog for any length of time then you know that I am huge Keller fan. He "came into my life" at a very crucial time in my Graduate School days when many of my beliefs were being challenged by my English professors. Keller had answers to all of those challenges through his clear explanation of how the gospel is so very different from religion. Anyway, all of that to say, that I am very excited about studying the Psalms and studying how to pray because this is a subject I don't know tons about.

I have spent lots of time praying in my lifetime, beginning when I was a small child, but I haven't spent lots of time studying how to pray. The study I am doing now uses the Psalms as a guide, as a place to learn how to speak the language of prayer. And though I am only one week into the study, I have already learned, shock of all shocks, that prayer is not about me and my needs, but it is instead, about God and his glory. I have also realized, again shock of all shocks, that I tend to make it about me--as I do with most things in life.

In the study we are practicing how to take the prayers found in the Psalms and make them our own. Last week we looked at Psalm 116, and in verse 12-13, David (? my bible doesn't say, is this a Psalm of David?) asks, "What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord." How often do I try to lift up my own goodness, my own "works" to the Lord, when in reality those works are simply filthy rags? What a reminder to me that all I have to offer up to the Lord in Thanksgiving is what he has done for me in Christ Jesus--my cup of salvation.

Recent events have caused me to think much about sin and the nature of sin in our lives, and how truly, our only hope is this cup of salvation. Apart from him and his death on the cross we have no good thing!!! But what hope we do have in that cup.

We sang a favorite hymn of mine this past Sunday at church, and I want to close with those words. I love them so because there is so much truth and Hope!!! in them.

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition, all I've sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition! God and heaven are still my own.

Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me. Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me, Show Thy face and all is bright.

Man may trouble and distress me, Twil but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me; Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, tis not in grief to harm me while Thy love is left to me;
Oh, 'twere not in joy to charm me, Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Go, there, earthly fame and treasure, Come disaster, scorn and pain
In Thy service, pain is pleasure, With Thy favor, loss is gain
I have called Thee Abba Father, I have stayed my heart on Thee
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather
all must work for good to me.

Soul, then know thy full salvation; Rise o'er sin and fear and care
Joy to find in every station, Something still to do or bear
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
Think what Father's smiles are thine,
Think that Jesus died to win thee,
Child of heaven, canst thou repine.

Another Week

We're here doing the same 'ole, same 'ole. Ada is up to no good, my house is a disaster, and I am dying for a really long nap. But things are good:)

Yesterday I had big plans to stay at home all day and clean, clean, clean as much as I could with a two year old constantly at my heels. Well, around 9:15ish, I hear Ada complaining that something is on her hands. I go to survey the situation, and I find every inch of her covered in Desitin, including her hair (again, I don't know where the Desitin came from), and yet, she complained only of her dirty hands. So, I decided then and there that we needed to get out of the house or it was going to be a long day. I grabbed her, gave her a quick bath, which thoroughly confused her, as she began to ask if it was "night-night" time at 9:30 in the morning. I explained that it was not; we just had to get all of that Desitin off. She thought it was a fun change to the schedule to find herself playing in the bath tub on a Tuesday morning.

I decided to take a shower myself, and take us both to story time at the library. Here are a few pictures from the morning, after Ada was cleaned up, that is.

After her bath, I dried Ada's her for maybe the second time in her entire life. She hated it and cried the whole time, but we got it done. And afterwards, I couldn't believe how long her hair looked. Here is the evidence.

As for other happenings, Monday went on as usual. Ada fussing a bit about having to share toys but hating to see Hannah and Grant go when it was time. At the end of the day, a neighbor also stopped by with her two children, so it was a bit of a party at our house. Here are a few pics from that day (minus the neighborhood children).

As for other news--today marks twenty weeks of pregnancy. Half way there!! Give or take a week or two. The baby is moving more and more, and I love it. And next Tuesday we are scheduled to find out if it's a boy or a girl. Ada will tell you it's a brother and a girl, so we are all really confused about the gender;) Along with the baby, I continue to grow, but I am trying not to fret over it. I am doing what I can, not gaining tons and tons of weight (though I feel quite gigantic), and just knowing that one day the baby will be here and I can worry about losing the weight then. It's a bit of a battle I have to fight everyday, not to get so caught up in worrying about how I look and instead knowing that my body is doing what it needs to do to take care of this growing baby.

Now, I really am off to clean the house. We are traveling home this weekend for my ten year high school reunion (wow, can't believe it) and to see both sides of the family. We are leaving tomorrow night when I am done tutoring and crossing our fingers that Ada will sleep in the car. All of that to say that I hate to leave the house in a mess, so today's goal is to get it straight.

As always, thanks for reading!

p.s. Amanda asked if I am growing my hair out on purpose. And Amanda, you are sweet to say my hair looked cute in that picture. I actually thought it looked quite terrible, and the answer is that I am not growing it out on purpose. In fact, I can't believe that I am going to my ten year reunion without a hair cut, but I just haven't gotten around to getting it cut, and now I am growing it out in order to get a longer cut--if that makes sense. Anyway, there is a hair explanation for anyone interested.

Elmo

Well, we saw Elmo, live, along with every other preschooler in the Atlanta area.

As a crowd of parents and our preschoolers all crowded on the elevator at Phillips Arena, the jokes were flying.

One mom said, "we must all be going to the same place," and then a dad responded, "a Metallica concert," and we all laughed at our cleverness. Then the mom said, "oh those days are over; now we spend our Friday nights with Elmo." (I never spent my Friday nights at Metallica concerts, but you catch the drift.)

The excitement was high as we entered Phillips Arena, and everyone was talking about Sesame Street, with one name clearly mentioned more than the others--Elmo.

And sure enough, he was the last to come out. It was great. Bert and Ernie came first, and Ada was appropriately thrilled at the life-sized characters. As more continued to come out, she would get very excited, but each time she said, "I want melmo," and I would assure her that "melmo" was coming.

Here she is waiting. Excuse the lighting. As you can imagine, it was quite dark in there.

Once everyone was out except for Elmo, Bert looked around and said to Ernie, "aren't we missing someone?" Obviously Sesame Street knows who the preferred character is. Then we all had to yell out who we were missing, and then, there he was, the star of the show.

We were sitting in a suite area, which was so nice, especially the private bathroom, which was much used by this pregnant girl. It also allowed Ada to stand up and walk back and forth between Scott and me. There was glass directly in front of us, so Ada was able to get up and look down with no fear of an accident. It was an ideal setting, really. Again, Julie, we can't thank you enough.

Ada loved the singing, but every time the songs stopped, she would ask for more songs, and eventually, as we were nearing intermission, Ada began to say she wanted "bye-bye." We talked her into staying, paid an arm and leg for a sprite and french fries during intermission, and made it through about half of the second part of the show before we had to call it a night. I honestly wasn't sure we would make it that far.

As we were leaving with 20 minutes left in the show, we noticed that we were not the only ones leaving early. Many parents were filing out, their toddlers having gotten their fill of Elmo.

It was a definite hit, though. Ada talked about it all the way home, and we have discussed it in detail today. It will not soon be forgotten, that is for sure.

I'll leave you with a few pictures from before the show.

Our Week, Our Crazy Week

Just when I tell you that I love two years old, I am taking it back. Oh my word, it's been a challenging week, ya'll.

Let me give you an example.

This was how I found Ada yesterday morning, when we were already running late for the library. Before I could get it all cleaned up, it made it's way all the way up to her hair. It quickly turned into a ponytail day for her.

She truly is such a mischievous child. She is always thinking up something to get into or jump off of. She jumps from one piece of furniture to another. She hides herself inside of wardrobes. She locks doors from the outside (leaving me unable to get into the master bathroom all day long). And she possesses a radar that goes off any time I turn my back for one second or forget to secure a cabinet door.

During the course of the day, after the lipstick incident, I found her squeezing out the entire contents of the shampoo bottle all over her hands and into the bath tub, and when I questioned her, she explained that she wanted bubbles.

Shortly after I had cleaned that up, she decided that Ernie needed to "use the potty," and thankfully, I rescued him at the last possible minute before he ended up in the toilet.

At another point in the day, I found her sitting in a chair, covering her arms and hands in desitin, and I have not one clue where the desitin came from.

Then today, as I was on the phone trying to cancel a membership to a Dr. Seuss book club (having to do with the online offers I have told you about), I realize that Ada is being awfully quiet. I find her in the kitchen, Cookie monster (diapered, by the way) sitting in her booster seat, a toy plate with toy fried chicken sitting in front of him, and Ada pouring so much salt onto the chicken, that I can hardly see the chicken for all of the white. I quickly snatch up the plate, still on the phone, and Ada begins to wail as if I have hurt her. Really, I have no idea what the lady on the phone thought. I quickly looked around to try and find a salt substitute, and I noticed what I thought was a childproof tylenol bottle. I quickly handed that to her, but soon realized that the bottle was not Ada proof. So once again I snatch the "salt" out of her hands, and the wailing begins again. Truly, she is such a drama queen.

But it's more than the mischief even. The disobedience has increased greatly this week, resulting in many time outs, pinches, and even spankings, though none seem to matter much to her. And her new favorite word is mine. Everything is proceeded with the word mine. It drives me nuts.

But just when I think I might pull my hair out or burst into tears of frustration, she does something so stinking cute that I can hardly stand it.

Her favorite new game to play is to pretend she is going to Mae-Mae's house, which is actually whatever closet happens to be nearest to us at the moment. She tells me bye, we kiss and hug even, and she goes into the closet and shuts the door. Five seconds later, she comes out of the closet and begins to tell me in detail how she saw Mae-Mae and cow and horsie. She does this over and over throughout the day.

She also has picked up on the phrase, "awww, man." She says it both for good things and disappointing things. For example, she spots a new sheet of stickers, "awww, man" in a very happy voice. Or she is unable to get her baby doll to do what she wants it to do, and she again says "awww, man" in a frustrated voice. The best part, though, she actually says, "awww, mam." It really cracks us up because she says it all the time, "awww, mam." She has to say yes mam to me when we are having "serious" talks, so I guess the mam just transferred.

She really is so funny and so full of personality, but that huge personality can be quite challenging. I am trying to teach her that obedience to me makes Jesus happy, but I am not even sure she really understands what obedience is. I just want parenting to be so simple, but it, of course, is not.

I sure am thankful for that little stinker, though.

Sesame Street Live

Thanks to our kind and generous friend, Julie, Scott, Ada, and I are headed to Phillips Arena Friday night to see Sesame Street Live: Elmo's Green Thumb. Scott and I are giddy with excitement. (Okay, he probably would not want to be called giddy, but he is excited.) Thank you, thank you, thank you, Julie!!!!!! We have known Julie since we first moved to Atlanta. She and Scott worked together at Blue Linx, Scott's first Atlanta job. She now works somewhere different, and she actually won the tickets at work. Julie doesn't have any children, so she offered the tickets to us, and, of course, we accepted.

If you look in the picture above, you can see the tickets. We tried to get Ada to hold them, but she didn't understand. The show starts at 7:00 on Friday night, so I plan to put Ada down for her nap as late as possible on Friday, and I also plan to pack plenty of snacks in my purse to keep her awake. Plus, I am guessing that Elmo on stage, along with all of her other favorite characters, will help to keep her awake--I think she will be in awe. Phillips Arena full of toddlers, I can't even imagine what this is going to be like. The tickets even included a parking pass, so the whole event is completely free to us. We really are so grateful, Julie!! Thank you.


Of course, I will give a full report after the event.


Stay tuned, Ada and I have had quite the week, and it's only Wednesday. She has been one mischievous little stinker all week long, and I have many stories to tell.

Mondays and The Truck

Meet Hannah and Grant. They spend the day with us on Mondays.

Ada gets so excited that they are coming, that on Sunday nights she goes to bed talking about it, and she wakes up Monday morning still talking about it. Of course, as soon as they get here, she decides that she doesn't want to share her toys after all, but after a few time outs and pinches, things get straightened out.

These are two of the sweetest kids I know. And they all go down for a nap at the same time, so it's really an easy job. You can read more about Hannah and Grant here.

The other thing I want to tell you about is Ada's Fisher Price truck.

The day that we bought Ada's kitchen from the local furniture shop, we also bought this truck. It was sitting there in the random toy section selling for just 3.00, so we decided to add it to our purchase. That was a smart move on my part. Ada loves this truck. She plays with it all the time. It has a Fisher Price little people driver, and little letters to go in a slot on the top of the truck. And, every other time that you put the letters in, it plays the ABC song--a favorite of Ada's. This is a much loved, much played with truck.

And by the way, the kitchen turned out to be a hit after all. For now, it's home is the dining room/office/play room, and Ada cooks meals for me all day long. Mostly grapes, soup, and coke. And everything is cooked in the microwave, including the grapes. And the coke does not come from the fridge but from the faucet. It is quite the magic faucet because any drink that we request comes straight from the faucet.

And now it is time for me to get on with my day. On Tuesdays we go to the library for story time, and the clocking is ticking, so I must pull myself away from the blogging world. Have a good one, everyone!

Menu Plan Monday

It's Monday again, so I am "mom" to three. We have just come in from playing outside, and all the kids are eating goldfish and watching a cartoon, so I decided to sneak in here to grab some quick computer time. Then we are headed upstairs to play and clean (ha!).

Monday also means--menu planning!! Our week is not too exciting. As always, our menu is based on sales and what was already in the pantry, and sometimes it seems we eat the same things over and over and over. For example, split chicken breasts--always on sale, always in our freezer.

Anyway, here is the plan

Sunday night--we had homemade pizza, yummy!!
Monday night--grilled hot dogs, baked beans, pasta salad
Tuesday night--cheeseburger pie, broccoli
Wednesday night--chicken spaghetti, bread, green beans
Thursday night--not sure yet b/c I am going straight from tutoring to bible study, so it may be sandwiches or something as equally exciting
Friday night--we are going to see Sesame Street Live!!! (more on that later!!), so I am guessing we will eat fast food as we make our way to downtown Atlanta.
Saturday night--homemade pizza again
Sunday lunch--omelets or quiche

I know, I know. We are such gourmets;)

I do have a very yummy potato casserole recipe to share with you, though. I made it Saturday night, and I thought it was very good and fairly easy. We will definitely be making it again. Here goes

2 lb potatoes, unpeeled
1/4-1/2 c. unsalted butter
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/2 c. milk
3 T + 1 T Romano cheese, grated
1/4 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/4 c. cheddar, shredded
2 T. green onions, chopped
2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1/2 t. white pepper (I didn't have this)
1 t. paprika

Boil potatoes for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Drain, cover and chill for 3-4 hours. Quarter the potatoes. Melt the butter and garlic in a saucepan. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, garlic butter, milk, 3 T of Romano cheese, Monterey Jack and cheddar, green onions, salt and pepper. Coarsely mash until combined, leaving some large chunks. Spoon into a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Romano cheese and paprika. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Refrigerate leftovers. Serves 6.

We loved it. Try it. I got the recipe from a Kroger coupon booklet.

And for hundreds of other meal ideas, check out Organizing Junkie every Monday.

One more thing...

I had to log back on to say

War Eagle!!!! It's great to be an Auburn Tiger, isn't it? Ada thinks so.

Oh how I wish I had been in Jordan-Hare tonight. It's been too long, Jordan-Hare. One day soon we will reunite. One day soon.

p.s. I felt the baby move for the first time tonight while I was watching the Auburn game. An Auburn fan already.

Random Saturday Update

I haven't blogged in a few days because there really hasn't been much to say.


Ada woke up from her nap on Wednesday with a 101 degree fever, so we have stayed close to home all week, and it has been rather uneventful. Nothing ever came of the fever, so I am wondering if her molars are trying to come in. We'll see. She has been rather fussy.



The fever did make me a bit paranoid, though. With the flu and the swine flu and my pregnancy, I am a bit hyper sensitive to sickness these days and normally I am rather laid back when it comes to germs and things. However, Wednesday night when we put her to bed and her fever was still 101, I had to stop myself from going in to check on her every few minutes. At one point I even considered sleeping on the floor in her room, and then I began to reason with myself. She wasn't even acting sick. The only symptom of anything was her fever, and my mom mentioned that 101 isn't even that high for a child. So, that's what we have done all week.


As a result, we are both climbing the walls a bit, so Scott took Ada to the park this morning to let her run around, and I headed to Target to get a little alone time. This leads me to my next update.


Liz Lange shirts on clearance for 3.24!!!!!!!


I have been searching for some solid color t-shirts that can be dressed up or down. I needed something versatile that would work for both a tutoring job and a trip to the grocery store. I thought a couple solid color t-shirts would be just the thing. Think about it, a black shirt paired with jewelry and the right shoes can look rather dressy, but I can also put it with jeans and flip flops for everyday. You get the picture, right?


Well, Motherhood was charging 25.00 for a solid color T, and you can imagine the prices at Gap. I decided to head to Target today, just to see what I would find. And what do you know--3.24 on the clearance rack. I grabbed three. A black one, a white one, and a gray printed one. They are nice and long and stretchy, so I am hoping they will carry me through until the end when things get rather gigantic. And they are a nice crew neck. V-necks and scoop necks can be rather problematic in pregnancy, if you know what I mean;)


Yea for the Target clearance rack. It always come through for me!!


And finally, completely off the subject, but on my mind these days--Harry Potter.


Harry Potter has actually been really good for my marriage because Scott and I have been able to watch the movies together. We normally can't agree on a movie for the life of us, so we have had something fun to do together for the past few weekends.


Last night we watched the fourth movie. That is the last book I read because my tutoring student doesn't have the fifth one. I am thinking an Amazon order is going to have to happen.


Anyway, the movies are starting to drive me a bit nuts. They are so vastly different from the books, and I sit and fidget and get annoyed every time something is left out or changed. Scott says they are two different mediums and that I should view the movie as a completely separate thing from the book. Really? Is that possible? So, though I enjoy watching the movies, the differences are driving me crazy. Do any other Harry Potter fans have this problem? Advice for letting it go so that I can enjoy watching the movies without growing more and more irritated?


Also, they are definitely giving me nightmares. Last night I slept terribly as I dreamed all sorts of strange, Harry inspired dreams. Yikes. I am not sure of a solution to that problem.


So there's an update. That is what is happening in our world. Ada is now down for a nap, and we are about to settle in for an afternoon of football watching and house cleaning, though I am not sure how the two are going to work together. We'll see.


Happy Saturday!!

Morning in the Moore house

Good morning, everyone. Particularly, "Near" and "Mae-Mae." I thought ya'll might appreciate a glimpse into our house this morning to see what this little stinker is up to.This is how we begin every morning, cuddled on the love seat watching Arthur and George on PBS. George is her second favorite character after Elmo. In fact, I am thinking we are going to dress her as a monkey for Halloween in honor of George. (this will be our first Halloween to dress her up).

I sit on the side next to the table, Ada cuddles up beside me, I drink my hot tea (celestial seasonings white pear with splenda and coffee mate) and Ada drinks "appy juice" and eats whatever is on the menu for the morning. Usually either eggs or yogurt. This morning, blueberry yogurt.

There was a time not so long ago, that I used that first hour in the morning to watch the Today Show while I sipped my tea. I would catch up on the world outside of the walls of our house. Not anymore. Ada is having none of that. So, I sink further and further into the world of preschool, and I have not a clue what is going on outside these walls:) But that is okay. This is why I read blogs and spend time online.

So good morning, world. I hope your mornings are as comfy and relaxing as ours.

A couple of quick Ada stories

There have been a few Adaisms lately that I want to share and record for my own sake.

First, remember the book that Ann gave to Ada for her birthday? Well, we now read it every night before bed, and to keep Ada interested, I have added lots of "drama" to the reading. In one story, Zaccheus maybe, the people yell, "Jesus is coming!!" So, the first time I read it, I put my hands around my mouth and yelled it with much emphasis. Well, Ada loved it. She now calls the book, "Jesus is coming," and she loves yelling that part of the story every night. She won't let us read other stories, in fact. And tonight, Scott had to leave to go to bible study, and to explain that to Ada, I said, "daddy is going to church to learn about Jesus." Ada looked at me and nodded knowingly as she said, "Jesus is coming."

Second, as Ada gets older, I have realized how much she is able to remember. I absolutely believe that children's brains are like little sponges, and they can take in so much more information than we realize. I want to take advantage of that. So...we have started teaching Ada the shorter catechism for children, and she is learning it surprisingly easily. (we have shortened all the answers to two words, which is working so far. For example, "what else did God make?" "all things," or, "why did God make you and all things?" "his glory.") I don't think she has one clue what she is saying, but I am still all for pouring truth into her brain. One day that truth will equal understanding. We have made it through the first four questions, and we are about to start working on the fifth. Maybe soon we can video it somehow.

Third, Auburn. Truth from the bible, truth about what we believe, and truth about Auburn. I have my priorities in order, right;) I taught Ada to say war eagle, hey, with the hand motions, and she really likes doing it, particularly the hey part. (anything that allows her to shout loudly). Well, I thought it would be cute to teach her to answer, "war eagle, hey!" when I ask, "what does a tiger say?" Yesterday we were looking at a book together, and we came across a picture of a lion. I asked her what a lion says, thinking she would roar, and she replied, "war eagle, hey" complete with her fist in the air and everything. We'll keep working on that;)

And finally, tonight Ada must have had the new baby on the brain because as I was bathing her she once again began to ask me about going to the doctor to check on the baby. I was rather surprised because she hasn't mentioned that since last Wednesday when I went to the doctor. Anyway, her inquiry sparked a conversation about the baby, and I told her that the next time I went to the doctor we would find out if she was having a brother or a sister. She kept playing with her bath toys as she said very matter-of-factly, "a sister." So, I guess that's settled, a girl it will be.

Oh Ada, I think two is so much fun. I love all of our conversations through out the day, and it has been incredibly fulfilling for me to begin to actually teach you things. I know that the daily ins and outs of infanthood is equally important, but I am beginning to experience some of the fruit of motherhood, and I am loving it.

Our little personal trainer

Because I have a feeling there are a few people out there who are dying to see some new pictures (yes, family, I am talking to you), here are some shots from an evening spent at a local park.

In this first picture, Ada was glaring at the children who were in the swings that she normally plays in. You know the kind--that are more for babies? Anyway, she loves those things, and on this particular night the swings were occupied. Ada could not understand why the world didn't stop for her.

At this particular playground there is a mile long walking trail. Ada and I have had walked the trail several times with her in the stroller. Well, one night, after playing for a while with Scott while I jogged the trail, Ada decided she wanted to walk the trail--no stroller for her. Ever since then, we can not leave the playground without her walking (and running!!!) this mile long trail. In fact, often times, Scott and I are not going fast enough for her. She turns around and shouts, "run, mom, run!!!" I am worn out by the time she is done with me!!And, finally, I want to issue a thank you to a blog reader, Stephanie, who very, very generously sent us a box of fall clothes for Ada. Her daughter had outgrown them, and she thought Ada might be able to use them. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The box was much appreciated. I wanted to send you an e-mail or thank you note, but in my typical scatter brained "ness," I have misplaced all ways to contact you. I so hope you happen to read this blog post, and please know how thankful we are!!

Let the Games Begin

well, like most of the south, football is on the brain.

I actually had to drive through Auburn today on my way back to Atlanta from Greenville, AL. I drove the four hours to Greenville yesterday evening to spend the night with four of my college roommates. One roommate is getting married in October, and that, of course, calls for celebration. Celebrate we did, as we stayed up until 4 AM!!!!!!!!!! talking about everything under the sun. Oh my word. Am I a crazy woman?

Four hours later, I woke up for the day. At 17 weeks pregnant, four hours is not cutting it. I can barely hold my eyes open.

But

I want to watch the Auburn game. (Thank you ESPN 360!) I want to watch the Alabama game. I want to some how join in the camaraderie of the first football Saturday.

Scott got super lucky and scored a free ticket to the Alabama game from a friend from church, so I am here alone. I am happy that he gets to go, but I can't help but hope that Virginia Tech walks away with the victory. He knows my heart on that issue;)

And, as I mentioned, I made a quick pit stop in Auburn on my way home today. I couldn't help but feel left out as I saw the sea of orange that was College Street. I quickly ran into Zaxby's to grab some lunch, not foolish enough to try to venture further into Auburn than that, and even that small glimpse made me long for my college days. Will I ever stop wishing that college had never ended?

So, now I must turn my attention to the game.

War Eagle, ya'll!

The Kitchen

Finally, Ada has her kitchen. I know that mom is dying to see these pictures, so here they are.

It was quite a disappointing meeting between Ada and her kitchen. Once the kitchen was out of the box, we realized that it was not the one we thought it was, but it is instead, the exact same one as Ada's friend Ruth (Tutti's daughter). Ada is very familiar with Ruth's kitchen, so when she saw the kitchen, Ada began to open the cabinet doors and she was confused when all of Ruth's accessories weren't included in the kitchen. She immediately began to ask me about some specific thing, which I couldn't quite understand. I ran upstairs to get Ada's kitchen accessories, and then she began to play. Oh parenthood. We work so hard to do exciting things for our children, and then they act ungrateful. This is my official apology, mom and dad, for all the times I reacted ungratefully to the millions of things you did for me.

Anyway, without further ado, Ada and her kitchen.

a few notes.

As you can see, we were fresh out of bed. We do mismatched pajamas around here. After bath, we find a clean pair of pj pants, a shirt that will be comfy enough, and we call it pajamas. It saves time:) And, you get to see Ada's hair in all its morning glory.

Second note, we do not plan to permanently keep Ada's kitchen in the foyer. I am assuming that Scott didn't feel like moving it elsewhere when he finally finished putting it together. (I was already upstairs asleep, so I just found it there this morning).

Midwife Explanation

I realize that this is my second post tonight, but I realized that this was the second post where I mention a midwife without explaining.

The practice that I go has several doctors and several midwives, who are nurse practitioners. Both the doctors and the midwives deliver babies, but the patient chooses which they want to deliver (obviously). I love the midwives at my practice. They are empathetic, kind, reassuring, and make time to answer all of my questions. The doctors are doctors--in and out, cut and dry, etc. etc. So everything in me leans toward having the midwife deliver.

There is one problem. Ann had a terrible midwife experience when she delivered Ellie. Terrible. Granted she was in New Mexico, across the country, at a completely different practice. But I can't shake her experience, so I choose the doctors. I have heard story after story of wonderful midwife experiences. And, to be completely honest, if Ann had had a wonderful midwife experience with Ellie, and I heard story after story of terrible midwife experiences, I would probably choose a midwife. I am heavily influenced by my family. So...I choose the doctors. But until the very end, I choose to see the midwives because I actually prefer them.

Let me give you an example, today, as I came out of the "examination room" to get my check out (?) papers from the midwife, she turned to me and said, "I love that shirt. It's so cute," and then she proceeded to give me a little back pat/rub and tell me that she will see me next time. And, when she first walked into the examination room and asked me how I was feeling, I told her that I was feeling loads better, and she replied, "Thank God," as if it was all she had been able to think about since the last visit. The doctors don't say or do things like that. They are strictly business. But, on birth day, I prefer strictly business.

I had an incredible birth experience with Ada. I appreciated all the decisions that my doctor made, and it resulted in a very easy, uncomplicated delivery, so I am sticking with the doctors. On birth day.

Baby Update

I finally made it to the doctor today. I went a new way, recommended by Kelly (the same friend who told me about the kitchen!!), and I had no problems getting there on time.

My doctor's office is right across the street from the hospital, so I felt some comfort seeing how easy it was to get there going the new way that avoids down town. I have felt some anxiety at the thought of getting all the way across town when in labor, especially if things decided to pick up during rush hour. My anxiety was calmed today.

Everything went great. I heard the heartbeat for the first time, which was a relief. Until I can feel the baby move, I like some reassurance that everything is going okay in there. And then today I heard that steady sound, and the midwife said that the size of my uterus tells her that everything is developing just as it should, and I felt calm about the health of the baby.

The most exciting news? We scheduled the ultrasound for September 29th, and then we will know if Ada gets a brother or a sister. Last night I vividly dreamed that it was a girl, but who knows, right?

I told Ada that I was going to the doctor to check on the baby, so the rest of the day she repeatedly asked me about it. I heard concern in her voice. She would say, "baby? doctor? did it hurt?" And she asked me if I would get a band-aid. I told her that unfortunately, this situation would not be solved with a band-aid. She likes to hug and kiss my stomach, and she says good night to the baby, but I have a hard time believing that she understands what is going on. I wonder if she finds it confusing that we keeping referring to a baby in my stomach. I wonder if she thinks we are all crazy;) She will see soon enough, won't she?

So, there's a baby update. Things are moving right along. I can't wait to feel that first movement. That is hands down my favorite part of pregnancy. I love, love, love that feeling.

p.s. Scott is currently putting the kitchen together, so I should have pictures of it tomorrow. I can't wait for Ada to see it. It feels like Christmas Eve:)

Change of Kitchen Plans

As you know, because I keep blogging about it, we are in the process of getting Ada a new wooden kitchen. We had decided on this one, but it looks like plans are changing today.

Well, my friend Kelly (our pastor's wife) called me yesterday to let me know that a local furniture store that sells (used? discount? not sure) furniture has a kids kraft kitchen, still in the box, for 60.00. This one.Well, we are going today to snatch that thing up before anyone else can buy it. I am thrilled because the above kitchen normally sells for about 180, I think. And I don't have to use any of my swagbucks that I have worked so hard to save up. This means, I have about 70.00 worth of Amazon credit to use towards Ada's Christmas present. As always, God provides in the most unusual ways.

I have already been searching through Amazon's vast amount of Melissa and Doug products deciding on what I want to order for Ada's Christmas. And I have several months to earn more swagbucks, so I am hoping that I don't have to pay for any of her Christmas out of pocket. Thank you, Lord. He does provide, doesn't he?