Some Feedback, please...

Okay, there are few minor parenting situations going on over at our house, and I always love to turn to the blog to get some much needed advice. 

Warning:  I will be talking about bathroom issues.

Okay, situation number one, which I have not blogged about because I am ashamed to admit that Ada is still not FULLY potty trained.  Let me explain.  We have got "tee-tee" completely under control.  I don't remind her to go, she never has accidents, she uses public restrooms, it is not a problem.  It's the "poopy" that is causing us serious trouble!!!!  Here's the deal, if I don't let her "go" in her diaper, then she holds it and holds it and holds it, and she is a champion "holder."  As I have blogged about before, Ada has had bowel issues (I really apologize for all the bathroom talk, but I desperately need some advice) since she was five months old and I switched her to formula (hence my strong desire to nurse John and forego formula altogether).  So, we have battle after battle after battle, and I end up letting her go in her diaper to avoid more serious problems caused by holding it.  The doctor always says, of course, feed her foods that will make her go.  Well, I know all of that, and I carefully monitor what she eats, but really, at this point, she can hold it despite the food that I give her.  I have heard other moms mention miralax, and my childhood pediatrician even mentioned that, but I have no idea how much to give her or how often.  I DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE ANOTHER ONE OF HER DIRTY DIAPERS!!!  Help me!!!  I do not mind making her go in her panties; in fact, that is how we go her potty trained with the tee-tee, the problem is that I don't know how to make her go in her panties.  Again, help me, please.  By the way, I HATE potty training!!!

Okay, situation number two, which I have blogged and blogged about.  John is still so dependent on my breastmilk.  It is his main source of calories, and he is eating every three hours around the clock.  He is gaining weight just fine, but I am worn out.  Plus, his first birthday is right around the corner, and as thankful as I am that we have nursed this long, I would like to cut it off at a year.  I am a bit burned out, to be honest with you.  I am trying to force him to get calories elswhere, but he gags on any actual solid food, even puffs, and usually ends up throwing it up.  At Thanksgiving I fed him some dressing, which he loved, but then threw it up, as well.  I can usually get him to eat some baby food, but for the most part he's just not that interested.  And he certainly isn't drinking liquids from anything other than me.  Again, I am desperate for some advice.  I want to make the weaning process as painless as possible, but it's not looking good.  He is certainly not going to wean himself.  And I don't even mind a "comfort nurse" before bed and naps, etc, but at 10 months shouldn't he be getting calories elsewhere?

Okay, advice?  Anyone?

Christmas Card Time Again

I love this time of year for so many reasons--Christmas trees and decor, fires in the fireplace, The Nutcracker, Celebrating Jesus's birth, and the list could go on and on.

One of the many things that makes the days a bit more fun is finding a Christmas card in the mailbox every time I check the mail.  It's nice to have something other than junk, right?  And I also love creating our family's Christmas card.

A site I have used in the past (and plan to use again this year!!!) is Shutterfly.  They have so many cute and festive cards to choose from, like these two, for example (can you tell I like green)

and there are so many more options to choose from. 

Plus, Shutterfly has great options for Christmas gifts, such as ornaments, calendars, and the ever popular photo book.

I can't help but buy a photo ornament each year to document the children as they grow--you know? 

Best of all--Shutterfly is easy on the budget.  You know that fact is oh-so-important around here, and the price goes down the more you buy--so no worries if your Christmas card list is long.  Plus, if you are swamped with things to do (as many people are during the Holidays), Shutterfly can send the cards for you.  All you have to do is go online and order them, and the work is done.

Anyway...the kids are tucked in, the Christmas tree lights are glowing, and I am going to take advantage of the quiet house to order our Christmas card.

p.s. I am participating in a Christmas Card promo with Shutterfly, but promo or not, I still love their cards and gifts!!

From McDonalds

I am definitely blogging from McDonald's right now.

For who knows what reason, our internet is not working.  Our phone is working, but not our internet.  Scott will hopefully be getting that fixed tomorrow.  But...the grocery list couldn't wait.  And I am now lost without my favorite coupon websites, so after Ada and John were tucked into bed, I ended up here in order to make a grocery list with coupon match-ups.  We have been eating waaaaay too much fast food over the past couple of days, so I am desperate to get to the grocery store first thing tomorrow.  Our budget and our health can't stand any more eating out.

We do have bread, peanut butter, eggs, and almond milk (what Ada drinks in place of regular milk), so really we could survive, I guess.

We also now have our Christmas tree--woo-hoo.  Ada is thrilled, and she even has her own tiny little artificial tree sitting in her room.  It's officially Christmas at our house.  Tonight we kicked the season off by reading about Gabriel telling Mary that she would have a baby--"You shall call his name Jesus, and He will be great!!"  (this is one of Ada's AWANA bible verses, so she was able to chime in at that part).

Ada was into the story, which was exciting because we read straight from the ESV bible, and usually we use her story book bible.  She asked some great questions, including how does a baby get into a mommy's tummy.  Several times we have gone over how the baby gets out, but this was the first question about how it gets in.  I took Ann's lead and told her that a baby can only get in a mommy's tummy if God puts it there, and she was satisfied with that.  She also wanted to know if one day she would have her baby in a hospital or a farm (you know, like Jesus).  I told her, that I assume she will have a baby in a hospital, not a farm;).

Anyway...just wanted to touch base.  We are still battling lots of sickness over here--pink eye, colds, and some strange rash all over John.  He is on an antibiotic for the pink eye (this is the second round of pink eye).  I am wondering if the rash is a reaction?  Hmmm...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is ready to fully enjoy the Christmas season.

WAR EAGLE

Really, is there anything else to say?

what a game!!!!!


So intense and unbelievable and crazy, and I am thrilled that we won!!!!

A few images from our day yesterday stolen from my mom's blog.

WE WON!!!!  AND WE CAN'T BELIEVE IT. 

Three generations of Auburn fans.  That's my dad's mom, who was as into the game as the rest of us. 

Watching Cam Newton run around the field, celebrating the HUGE WIN.

And a few pre-game images, John and Andrew are becoming big Buddies.

NERVOUS HERE!!

Possibly a fourth generation of Auburn fans?

Okay, bring on the SEC Championship!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, Favorite Bargain Site, and the Iron Bowl

I know, I know...the title is rather random, but those are the things I want to talk about in this post.

Let's start with Thanksgiving. 

We are at Scott's parents' house right now, actually missing Thanksgiving dinner with my family.  I was with my family earlier in the week, though, and I will travel (without Scott) to their house tomorrow to watch the Iron Bowl (more on that in a minute).

I am thankful for so much of course--God, Jesus, THE GOSPEL, you know the obvious ones--and the other obvious ones, family and friends and being at home with my kiddos.  A HUGE thank you, Lord for that one!!  I am thankful for all of us being healthy and safe and free to make choices about education and church and how we worship and spend our money and things like that.  There is so much that I am thankful for--I could go on and on and on. 

I am also thankful for many trivial things--coupons and Charlotte Russe jeans that are affordable and cute.  I am thankful (not so trivial to me) that I have been able to nurse John for 9 whole months with no glitches.  I am thankful for Sonic happy hour (.86 diet coke!!) and Target diapers, which I LOVE.  They are the only diapers that keep John from soaking through his diaper and clothes in the night.  I am thankful for our house.  Sometimes I am not thankful for it, which is an entire post in itself and not something I am ready to let loose on the blog about, but overall, I am thankful for comfort and safety and space and a place to call our own.  I am thankful for Netflix and Hulu and all the other things that make it easy to not have cable, despite my love for television:)  I am thankful for the library.  I love the fact that I can read almost anything I want for free.  Okay, I could go on and on and on...you get the idea.

Another thing that I am thankful for is blogging and the world that has opened to me as a result of blogs.  I have saved so much money because of blogs.  It's how I started couponing, after all.  It is also how I often find out about things, like Swagbucks, and Zulily.  I love Zulily because it allows me to purchase QUALITY items for as much as 75% off.  You simply create an account (for free), and you receive e-mails for current sales going on.  For example, right now kids crocs are 65% off.  There have also been weeks when they carry brands such as Petit Ami or Castles and Crowns at major mark downs.  Check it out here!!

And finally, the last thing I want to talk about--The Iron Bowl tomorrow.  I have to be honest, I am not even looking forward to it.  Too much is at stake, I am too nervous, and I don't even understand why it matters so much.  That is what I just said to Scott.  We were talking about the game, and I said, It matters so much, and I don't even know why!!!"  Obviously, I know that it doesn't really matter, in the grand scheme of things, but it matters enough that I know I won't enjoy the game, and I will simply be glad when its over.  It's not even a fun rivalry to me--it's just too big.

And those are the things I wanted to talk about.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!

Book List

Jennifer asked me to recommend some books worth reading, and I thought I would turn it into a post on some of my favorites from the past year.  I will try to categorize, including fiction--just because I personally always love a good fiction recommendation.  I am quickly typing this as John takes his morning nap, and Ada is watching cartoons, so please excuse improper formatting and punctuation of titles and things.  I also didn't include links to each book for the sake of time.  Here goes...

Living according to the gospel

--The Discipline of Grace (LOVE THIS ONE)
--The Enemy Within (haven't finished, but so far very convicting and eye-opening)
--Radical (just started, but, again, loving)
--Prodigal God (Tim Keller, to me he never fails to teach and convict and provide a new perspective)
--Counterfeit Gods (also Tim Keller)

Biblical Womanhood (including parenting)

--The Shaping of a Christian Family (reads like a story, and it was hard for me to even put it down.  So encouraging and fascinating--the biography of Elisabeth Elliot's mother)
--Let Me Be a Woman (also by Elisabeth Elliot, she is one of my favorites)
--The Excellent Wife (full of scripture on our role as women in the home)
--Sheperding a Child's Heart (read this while pregnant with Ada, but I recently picked it up again.  Very helpful)
--When You Rise Up (technically a homeschooling book, but I would argue that it is valuable for any parent, no matter your school choice--it reminds me of what my goal should be each day)
--Let Us Highly Resolve (again, this is technically homeschooling, I think, but worth reading even if you aren't going to homeschool)

Marriage

--Again, The Excellent Wife
--Sacred Marriage (probably my favorite book on marriage--His point is that the purpose of marriage is to make us holy, not happy, it's one to read again and again)
--Let Me Be a Woman (could also fall under the marriage category)

Children's Books/Resources

--The Singing Bible (4 cds that cover the entire bible, Genesis to Revelations.  I enjoy listening to this as much as Ada, and it keeps the big picture of the bible on my mind, can find it for super cheap on Amazon)
--Hermie and Wormie scripture memory songs (scripture to music, again, good for me as much as for Ada)
--The Seeds cds--we have Seeds of Courage (also scripture to music, can't get too much scripture in my head, right?)
--The Jesus Storybook Bible (continues to be a favorite)
--Honey For a Child's Heart (explains the importance of good books for a child and provides lists of best children's books, categorized by age)
--Read Aloud Bible Stories (Ada loves these.  We read them every night before bed and she has many of them memorized)
--Ada is receiving the Frances books on CD for Christmas.  (We checked out Home For a Bunny on CD from the library, and she loved reading along, so I am going to start building her collection of books on cd, hoping this will help with rest time every afternoon.  These are also good for the car.)

Fiction--

--read the Harry Potter series and couldn't put them down
--read several Jane Austen books--Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, loved them and need to read more soon
--And The Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers (somewhat cheesy at parts, but still a great read)
--Jan Karon's Mitford Series (I personally love to read this.  I think they are so cute and want to read them all)

Misc.--

--Friday Night Lights (non-fiction story of the importance of highschool football in Odessa, TX.  Coming from a small town where Friday night football was a HUGE deal, I found this book fascinating)
--A Year of Living Biblically (non-fiction, story of one man's attempt to literally follow the Bible for an entire year.  Written by an agnostic, not a Christian book, but a fascinating look at the Bible from a secular perspective.  Though at times I want to jump through the pages and correct things he says, thinking, you're missing the point!!!)

I am sure there are more that I could list, but I wanted to get the post done, since it has been several days since Jennifer asked me about it.  I love hearing about books worth reading, so if you have any suggestions, please pass them along!!!

Sidenote:  I do read a lot, on average two books a week, but it's because I read very, very fast.  It's one of those random things--I read strangely fast.  It's true.  This is great for reading easy fiction.  Love it, it's a great way to unwind at the end of the day.  It's not as great when reading Biblical books because I sometimes get through several chapters and realize that I haven't "taken in" what the book said, which makes the fast reading pointless.  And worse, the reading can begin to take the place of studying the Bible, which obviously is not okay.  Anyway, I just wanted to add that since my list might seem long, but there is a reason for that and even a downside.

John does smile every once in a while

 (John says, "please excuse the baby food stuck on and in my nose.  I don't have time to worry about that.")

Home

We've arrived in Alabama, and the cousin hoopla has begun.  We're excited to be here and thankful for a week with family!!!

Idle Time

The above verse is now hanging directly above my kitchen sink.  You know, for when I am tempted to leave the dishes right where they are instead of taking 15 minutes to unload and load the dishwasher each night.

Here's the kicker, though, it is also posted directly above my computer screen.  Yuck.  I love my computer time.  It is my window to that world out there beyond my four walls, my neighborhood, this town.  It also contributes to my idle time more than anything else.  Back in high school, my mom had a bible verse posted right inside the televesion armoire in the living room, so that we would see it every time we wanted to turn on the television.  I can't remember the exact verse--something about keeping our eyes pure, I think.  And I also remember finding a bible verse on modesty hanging in my closet--ha:)  I wasn't thrilled about those reminders back then--I was 16 after all and wanted to watch wanted I wanted to watch and wear what I wanted to wear and somehow separate those things from what the Bible had to say.  Thankfully, my mom was thinking about those things for me.  All of that to say, that I am bound and determined (and praying about it a lot) to figure out how to run this household in a God-glorifying way.  This verse is helping tons.  Instead of focusing on what all needs to be done, I am simply focusing on how I am spending my time.  If I am spending my time well, and the house is a mess at the end of the day--so be it.  If I have wasted much time in the day, and as a result the house is a mess, then I know it wasn't a God-honoring day.  This is the job he has given me.  I want to do it well. 

So, if the blog seems quiet, that is why.  I should add that I have the slowest computer known to man, so my computer time probably equals more idle time than the average joe.  Even tonight as I attempted to blog this, I got up and did things around the kitchen while I waited for different things to load. 

I have been reflecting on the past year A LOT, since it is coming to a close, and I am attempting to change a few things as the new year approaches.  I don't want the pressure of a New Year's resolution, so I am starting mid-November.  And besides, I think biblical, prayerful, self-evaluation is good any time. 

Plus, these kiddos are keeping me busy, busy, busy.  John is so much fun these days.  I can't get over the change in him, and I am soaking it up.  I am thankful to be finding much joy in motherhood lately (mixed in with frustration--OF COURSE).  I have had seasons that were less joyful, so praise the Lord for this easier time. 

Another conversation with Ada--distracting myself

John is upstairs in his bed "crying-it-out."  The poor guy must be so conflicted.  Sometimes he has to cry it out, sometimes he just gets to eat.  I am having one of those, he's NINE months old, he needs to sleep all night days, so for now he is crying it out.  (Don't feel sorry for him.  He ate less than two hours ago.  He just wants to snuggle, which I understand, but he also needs to learn to sleep). 

So, to distract myself, I am going to share an Ada conversation. 

These days a lot of our conversations revolve around Christmas because Christmas decorations are going up all over town, and every time Ada sees a new one, she exclaims, "Christmas is coming up!!"

So, after driving through the town square the other day, Ada says from the backseat of the car,

"Mom, do you know what Christmas means?"

Well, I immediately imagined all the clever things she might say--all about Jesus' birthday, and I was thrilled to hear her little heart, so I said,

"What, Ada?  What does it mean?"

Ada's response-- "It's a holiday where you go to school and get something.  Like a treat or a cookie or something."

Wow...not what I had in mind.  I assume that she saw a Christmas episode of one of her favorite cartoons.  Caillou, perhaps?

I then proceeded to share with her what I think Christmas means, including Jesus' birth.  At that point Ada began to ask questions like, did Mary go to a hospital, etc. etc.  When I explained that no, Jesus was born in a barn, and he didn't have a bed, Ada said, "Oh yeah, Mary put him in a nest!!"  Can't you just see a drawing of Jesus' manger--it does look like a nest, right?

Anyway, John has now stopped crying.  Why, you ask.  Because I fed him.  I'm absolutely wrapped around his little finger.

Nine Months

Three months until we celebrate the first year of John's life.  I CAN. NOT. BELIEVE. IT.  This year has FLOWN. 

But for now, I will focus on month 9.  This has been John's month.  The month we have been waiting for since he was six weeks old.  You see, I thought that six weeks was a magic number, a turn around time for mom and baby.  That proved true with little baby Ada, but not John-John.  So, I began to say, 3 months, 3 months will do the trick.  And then, six months.  Surely by six months, he will be a happy baby!!  Well, folks, 9 months it is.  He has finally reached a place of being happy when he is awake.  Before now, if John was awake, he fussed and cried if I wasn't holding him.  But now, he can finally entertain himself and be happy for extended periods of time.  This is a  HUGE  break through for us!!

At nine months, John still prefers me over anyone else, but Ada and Scott come in at a close second and third.  Ada is the only one who can consistently make him laugh out loud.  He loves her and is constantly trying to get into whatever she is doing, which drives her a bit crazy.  He is crawling all over the place, but he, thankfully, can't climb the stairs yet.  I sort of dread that.  He is also pulling up on everything, and once he pulls himself up, he looks around so proudly, as if to make sure Ada and I can see what he has accomplished.  Then he stands there for a while, just grinning and bouncing.  He is still my cuddle bug and such a little chunk.  I just squeeze him and kiss him all day long. 

He nurses several times throughout the day (on no certain schedule), and, let's be honest, a few times throughout the night as well (again, no schedule).  On the one hand, I am exhausted, on the other hand, it's just one year, and it's absolutely worth it to me.  I have asked myself several times throughout this year when I was burned out with the nursing, what is my goal?  And for me, the benefits outweigh the costs.  I am nervous about the weaning process.  How will I ever wean him?  I am trying to get him to eat more and more baby food, so he won't be so dependent on me for calories.  Some days he does great and other days, he hardly eats anything other than milk.  I also am letting him play with sippy cups filled with ice water, just to get him used to it a bit. 

He's a quick little thing, and any time I have to change his diaper or his clothes, it is a battle.  Seriously.  He flips himself over before I even know what's happening, and I sometimes get quite frustrated.  It's our first little "discipline" issue.  Which, by the way, I have started saying "no-no" in a very firm voice about certain things--flipping when I am changing him, trying to touch electrical outlets, grabbing things that he is not supposed to grab, etc--and every single time he laughs out loud!!  The sterner my voice, the funnier he thinks it is.  Oh dear.

His breath holding spells are becoming less frequent, but when he does do them, they seem more intense.  He actually had two today.  They are always triggered by something, so I try to tell myself not to worry, but I hate it every time.  In fact today, Scott was holding him while he was in the midst of the spell (Ada had accidentally "head-butted" him, and that was the trigger), and I just closed my eyes.  I can't stand to see it.  It's scary every time.  Afterwards, I held him and rocked him because he is so weak when it's over.  I plan to talk to the pediatrician about it once again at our next well-baby visit. 

He is growing up, our little grumpy John:)  I can't remember life without him; I truly can't.  I think Ada would say the same.

 And below is a failed attempt at a picture of both of them.  It never fails, Ada always ends up choking him when she gets in a picture with him. 

 And he's free.

 Always right where she is, always.

Conversations with Ada

This morning, after spending a few minutes at the end of the day yesterday "training" Ada to pick up her toys at the end of each day--something I am also "in training" for;)

Ada:  "Mom, are we going to see Near today?"

Me:  "No, we'll see her in a week."

Ada:  "Then who are we cleaning up for?"

That is a dagger to the heart.  Really, I do clean my house from time to time, despite my daughter's observations.

Confirmation

Both my kids have pink eye,  and Ada has it in both eyes.  So now I am doing the eyedrop battle every four hours.  Luckily neither child acts like they feel too bad, so hopefully it will pass soon.  Tonight once Scott is home I am going to strip beds and wash everything in an effort to get this contagious thing out of our house!!!

Ada didn't get sick her first year of life.  Ever.  I think I have been living in a dream world where I believed that breast fed babies don't get sick.  John is proving me wrong left and right.  He had that fever while we were in Gulf Shores and now pink eye, which he promptly passed to his sister.  Not to mention the numerous cardiologist and neurologist visits (which obviously have nothing to do with breast vs. bottle). 

Anyway...just wanted to update.  They are both sleeping, and now I am going to lie down as I continue to wake up numerous times throughout the night--sometimes for John, sometimes for Ada.  A full night's sleep?  What's that?

Pink Eye

 This little guy has what I think is pink eye.  No fun. 

I was trying to take a picture of his eye tonight to send to my mom.  I wanted her advice on taking him to the pediatrician tomorrow.  Well our stinky, point-and-shoot camera was not getting the job done, and John was getting more and more angry every time I snapped a picture instead of taking him from Scott and cuddling with him.  Bless his little pink eye infested self.

 Not happy and so pitiful.  We are going to the pediatrician tomorrow, by the way.  When I googled pictures of pink eye, John was a perfect match.  And he matched the bacterial version, not viral.  To the doctor we go.

"How many ways can I say, I am so stinkin' mad, mom?  Put that camera away!!!"

Monday Morning

 John napping  +

 Ada Playing +

 Glory Revealed CD playing in the DVD player =

My attacking the mess that collected over the weekend!!

(all of this made possible by a full night's sleep) 

Homesick

It has been months since I have been home to Alabama, which is not like me, and I am so thankful for Thanksgiving (get it!!) and a chance to go home!!!

And that's really all I wanted to say.  I need a good dose of small town Alabama, my parents' back porch (if it's not too cold), and lots of time sitting at Ann's house while Ada plays with her cousins.

One more week, and I am headed that way!!  Woo-hoo.

Now, if you happen to read this, please pray that Ada sleeps all night tonight.  We have had some ROUGH nights the past two nights, as she cried off and on all night long.  I have no idea what the problem is, but I am praying, praying, praying that we all get plenty of sleep tonight.

Update:  I am losing my mind, perhaps from lack of sleep?  I am not leaving for Alabama in a week.  Thanksgiving is in two weeks.  (thank you, husband, for letting me know).  AND, by the way, Ada did really well last night.  She woke up once, but she went back to sleep fairly easily.  She was crying and saying lots of things that didn't make sense, so I suspect that bad dreams are the cause of these night wakings. 

Conversations with Ada

Setting--we are in the car running errands around town, and Ada sees some Halloween decorations that are still out.

Ada:  "Mom, is it still Hallowing?"[that's what she calls Halloween--Hallowing]

Me:  "No, the next Holiday is Thanksgiving.  Do you know what Thanksgiving is?"

Ada:  [in a very excited voice] "Yes!!  It's when I get toys for Christmas!!"

Me:  "No, Thanksgiving is when we spend time thanking God for all the things he has given us.  For example, I am thankful for you, and John, and daddy.  Can you think of anything that you are thankful for?" [I realize that this isn't a full explanation of what Thanksgiving is, but I was winging it, big time.]

Ada:  [silent and looking around]...ummm, doors?

Me:  "okay, I am thankful for doors too.  They keep us safe and warm inside our houses and cars.  And Ada, do you remember whose birthday we celebrate at Christmas?"

Ada:  [silent again] "...ummm...mommy's?"

Me:  "No, it's Jesus's birthday!!!" [enthusiastic, excited voice]

Ada:  [again, an excited voice] "do we get to go see him?!!!" [I am fairly certain she was thinking of a birthday party at this point]

Me:  "No, remember how we talked about that we can't see Him, but He is here?"

Ada:  "yes, he is here and here and here and here," [pointing to lots of different places], "right, mommy?"

Me:  "That's right, Ada..."

and at that point we pulled into our driveway and the conversation stopped.

It's looking like all of last Christmas's effort to focus on Jesus as the reason for Christmas rather than gifts, didn't really stick ;)  We'll just have to give it another shot this year.

Typical Day

okay, so I posted this picture simply because that fat baby cheek is just too much.  I kiss it all day long.  Do you see what he is playing with?  A basket of bottle paraphanelia (sp?).  Drink a bottle?  No way.  Play with the parts?  Yes, please.

 Look at this big boy, moving all around my filthy kitchen floor.  (Yes, it was filthy, no matter how it looks!!  Crumbs everywhere!!)  It has since been swept.

On Tuesday, I got the unexpected treat of spending the day in Auburn with several of my college best friends (and bridesmaids!).  One of my friends is living in Hong Kong, and she was back in America for a wedding, so we put together an impromptu trip to Auburn, and it was wonderful.  The Lord was very gracious to me, and Ada and John did so great.  I was fully prepared for the day to be a disaster, but the weather was beautiful, and we spent most of the day sitting outside on a blanket while the kids played in the fresh air.  We started the day at Chik-fil-a, so that the kids could play while we talked.  Easier said than done, right?  Chick-fil-a was rather chaotic, and we had the table right by the playground, so it was even more chaotic than usual where we were seated.  Well, we were talking about motherhood in general, and one of my friends that was a part of the conversation does not yet have children.  I was trying to think of a good way to describe motherhood to her, and I paused and looked around at the chaos all around, and I said, "well, it's a lot like this most days."  And isn't it?  I feel like life with children is sort of like walking through quicksand.  You need to get out the door in a hurry?  Sorry.  The kitchen is a mess and you have company coming in 30 minutes?  Too bad.  I was thinking about that conversation today as I surveyed my kitchen and living room.  This is real life, folks. 

 Then, thanks to cartoons, scissors, crayons, and glue, and John finally being at an age where he can entertain himself for shorts periods of time, my kitchen now looks like this...

However, my dishwasher is full, I am out of dishwashing detergent, and I can't go to the store right now because John is asleep, so my sink still looks like this...

Life, right?  And an even closer glimpse into our life?  When I opened the cabinet under the sink to grab the dishwashing detergent to run the dishwasher, and I realized we were out, I called Scott.  When I asked him if he used the last of the detergent, he said, "Maybe.  I might have thrown it away.  I don't remember if I did, though."  That is so typically Scott.  I love you, babe!!!  In the future though, it's a good thing to mention it if we run out of dishwashing soap;)  Though, in his defense he probably thought I had a stockpile stored in a closet somewhere.  I normally do.

Motherhood.  I hope to remember these days years from now, when Ada calls me in tears about the state of her house.  And I will repeat the mantra, "the days are long, but the years are short.  Soak it up, daughter, soak it up."

p.s.  I should also mention that it is so typically Scott to do the dishes for me.  Which above and beyond makes up for not mentioning that we were out of detergent.

Christmas Gift Ideas

I was at Target tonight returning some boots,  (I have the hardest time finding boots that are the right height for my short legs.  Especially at a price I can afford...okay, back to the subject at hand), and I decided to check out the Halloween clearance section.  I was hoping to find some fall decorations marked waaaay down.  Well, things were 50% off, but I know that Target will go lower than that, so I am holding out.  Anyway, the Halloween costumes are also marked 50% off.  It took some searching through what appeared to be junk, but I did find a little pink princess costume for Ada for 3.50!!!  I am sticking that in the closet, and marking it off the Christmas gift list.  The true Disney princess costumes were still more than I wanted to spend, but I predict the price will go even lower, and I hope to buy a few more costumes for Ada and for other gifts--little girl birthday parties, etc. etc.  Just throwing it out there for any other moms of little girls who love to dress up as much as Ada does!!!

Halloween

This is all the evidence that we have of Halloween 2010.  A few quickly snapped photographs before the camera died.  They are not good pictures.  The flash was on, the lighting was terrible, and we were scrambling out the door, late as usual. 

If you can't tell, Ada was a princess (otherwise known as, grab something out of the dress up box and throw it on).  If you asked her, she said that she was, "Sleeping Tutti."  What?  You haven't heard of that princess?  And John was a mouse, and a trooper, by the way.  He made it almost all the way through trick-or-treating, before I headed back to Tutti's house (we "borrowed" their neighborhood for trick-or-treating) to feed him.

And so we celebrated Halloween.