Banner help

Since a few of you have asked, I thought I'd give you the big old secret to my banner. Photoshop. Yup, it's just good old Photoshop. It allows you to choose pictures and put them in different ways, I then cropped it and had to put it in photobucket.com to make it smaller. There is probably a way to do it in Photoshop, in fact I'm sure there is, I just don't understand photoshop that well yet. Seriously complicated. My husband was so kind to buy me a book about it for Christmas I've just not taken the time to really sit down and read it yet. Probably any photo program like photoshop or Corel could do it. They are kind of expensive but if you like photography like I do it's worth it to get to play with your photos and make them kind of cool.

Have a great day all!

10 Smile Tuesday

So yeah, I'm totally delinquent about posting lately. I have been so delinquent about life lately though, it's not too much of a suprise. Between the just feeling like I've been run over by a Mac Truck mixed with hills and valleys of unbelievable nauseau, it's just been hard to do anything lately. I'm not really in a thoughtful mood so it's even hard for me to write things down at this point.

I did start reading, "Gift from the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh today though, so maybe this will help to put me back into a thoughtful mood. I've only read one chapter so far but I really like her ideas on simplifying life. I think I will enjoy this book.

Anyway, you may have noticed that along with my posting delinquency has been a serious lack of pictures. Well, that's due to not downloading in ages, which I usually do like every other day. I just downloaded like 300 though so I think this train is a rolling now. I thought I would post some of my favorites as part of ten smile Tuesday. They were all taken within the last few weeks.

So, here we go...

1. Lilla and her best friend Jenna at the park last week. They are getting to that stage of hand holding, and I LOVE it! Oh, that I could keep this in a bottle. Too soon it will be wanting to hold boys hands. This is just too sweet!


2. A couple of weeks ago, we took Lilla, Jenna and Maddie to the zoo. So cute to see them enjoy the animals together!
3. I just love these shots of the back of the girls, just watching life together. Just too sweet and totally what friendship should be.
4. And this is what childhood should be. A good laugh and a roll in the grass. What could be better as the weather gets warmer?
5. Does this picture not sing fun to you? Lilla loves the teeter tawter so much! Just a good time.
6. I just think this is a sweet one of the peanut and her cousin.

7. And Michael with the girls.
8. Who doesn't love the Cracker Barrel rockers?
9. And nothing beats a good turn on the roundy thingy!
10. And last but certainly not least, the peanut on her way to church on Sunday. The pigtails, the sunglasses, the waffle...what is not to love about this picture?
I hope your day is full of smiles too!

Sending our prayers

In case you have not heard, or have, Steven Curtis Chapman's 5 year old little girl was killed in a terrible accident yesterday. Being the mother of my own little girl, my heart just breaks for them. I can't even imagine how they are feeling at this moment. Please be praying for their peace and faith at this time. I am so thankful for the ministry of this wonderful family and the whole story is nothing more than tragic. Still, I know that God works in everything for the good of those who love him. I know this family sure does, but it doesn't make it any less devestating.

Thank you for your concern dear Saints.

Life goes on

I don't particularly have one specific thing I want to say in this post, just a bunch of stuff running through my brain!

• Have I ever told you guys I am a cryer? Well, I am. I'm not a sobby, why oh why me cryer, I'm an everything touches my heart mushy girl cryer. That is my normal state of being. When I am pregnant, this is magnified. My friend Carrie and I took our girls to the zoo the other day and during the dolphin show I was so overwhelmed with love for the peanut thinking how full my life is because I get to teach her about things like dolphins, that I just started crying. Yep, apparently even dolphins can make me cry these days.
• Everyone keeps telling me they can't believe how vocal the peanut just got over the past few weeks. She's actually always been vocal, she's just coming out of her shell more and making more sentences all of a sudden. The peanut has been saying some of the funniest things lately. Like when I go to the bathroom and she'll say, "Mommy go potty?" I'll say, "Yes." She'll say, in her very excited way while clapping her hands, "Good job Mommy!! Daddy, Momma go potty!!" Or when Michael takes a shower, "Daddy shower?" My response? "Yes, Daddy is in the shower." Her response, "Daddy stinky." That one kills me!! Or her sweet response when I tell her I'm not feeling so good, "Mommy sick?" I'll respond, "Yes, mommy is sick." She'll give me a hug and say, "Mommy better." I mean come on, who is not going to find these things just adorable?
• Speaking of the potty, we are making progress. As long as there are no pants, she goes on the potty each and everytime. If there's a diaper, not so much. So, she knows the score. Smart girl. And, there is a lot of nudey butt in this house lately. LOL
• This pregnancy has been harder than I remember the first being on me. I worked a 40 hour week the first time, now I just feel like death all of the time. It has been exceedingly hard for me to get out of bed everyday. If I could just stay there I would. I feel bad for the peanut as she really wants to get out and do things but I just don't have the energy to move. The poor kid is going to turn into a Backyardigan if I let her watch anymore TV! Also, the nausea is definitely worse than with her. At least I got relief when I ate something the first pregnancy, not this time. I'm just always feeling like I'm going to throw up. It's good times. And don't mention food around me because the names of any food make me want to yak. Yeah, grocery shopping with me right now is a real walk in the park. Hopefully it will be over week 12 like it was with the peanut.
• Today was the last day of MOPS. I forced mysef to go today, and I'm glad I did. It has been a really great experience and I'm glad I got to say good-bye for the summer. I don't go to that church so I don't see them on Sundays! I'm on the steering committee so I will see some of the girls for planning this summer but we are changing our format and a lot of the team won't be back next year so it's nice to say good-bye. Tonight is a MOPS night in but I just don't have the energy to go.

Now that you've gotten the Amy update, what's going on with you all?

Well...crap

Yesterday, while the peanut and I were playing in the backyard, she pulled out my itty bitty gold hoops and laughingly threw them in the grass. Now, if you were too see our grass at this moment, you would know why this is a big problem. Needs a cut does not begin to describe this mess.

So, I began to search on my hands and knees through blades and weeds aplenty. The peanut kept trying to pull me over to her sandbox so I had to finally say, "Honey, remember how you pulled mommy's earrings out and threw them in the grass? Well mommy is trying to find them right now."

Her response? "Oh crap."

My response? "Honey, that's not a nice word. Let's not say that word anymore."

Her response to that? With her little girl giggle, "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap." Giggle.

Uh huh. Again with the mother of the year prize.

I can't stand up for falling down

I know I've been a bad blogger lately, but truely, I'm just trying to make it through the day here. I don't want to be one of those bloggers, or people for that matter, who's lives become just about pregnancy when they are pregnant, so I just refrain from writing for the most part.

I will just say though that the feelings of just being worn down and pukey are increasing by the day, you gotta love progesterone you know? So, it's taking a lot out of me and I'm zoning out most of the time anyway.

With the peanut this only lasted the first 12 weeks so maybe it will be similiar this time. I just keep reminding myself that at the end of the day (ok, not quite the end of the day!) I will have a precious little one in my arms so it will totally be worth it all.

Did you hear about the woman in Arkansas that's preggo with #18? Yeah, that was my reaction too, I'm sure!

Anyway, happy Mother's Day to each of you that are Mommy's! I hope your day is fantastic!

Uh...YEAH!!!

So being that my husband just asked me, "Are you SURE you're pregnant?" I just had to post this cartoon. For all of those other bloggers on the Dollar Tree pee test train with me, this, is too funny. :)