10 Smile Tuesday

We have been so busy in the last week, it just all seems like a whirlwind. I didn't take too many pictures so this won't be loaded with them like I usually have, but we have enjoyed just being in the moment instead of momma just having to get the right shot. So, here you are...

1. Our town is super small so not too much unique or fun things to do in it. That's why recently when a little cupcake shop opened, boy, were my friend Carrie and I all over that action! We took our girls, she has a daughter 2 months younger than the peanut, and enjoyed cupcakes and Capri suns on the patio. So sweet!

2. We actually got to the cupcake store an hour before it opened so we decided to take a stroll down the street where another friend from MOPS lives to see if she were home. She was and was overjoyed to see us at her door. She moved here 6 months ago and she said that was the first time she felt like this was her home and not just visiting. Who knew such a blessing could come from a stroll? :)

3. We decided to continue our excursion and walk by the court house fountains, which the girls promptly took their shoes off in front of and splashed around in. Oh, what joy! 4. A friend of mine from when I lived in Seattle just moved about 15 minutes away. She and her daughter, who is 2 months younger than the peanut, came over for some playtime the other day and it was so nice to catch up and just have a good time!

5. The letter P. The peanut and I started doing preschool at home last week and she is LOVING it! She already recognizes a P and told Michael the other day that Pig and Penguin start with P. I almost fell over!!

6. Baby. The other day while in the library bathroom, the peanut pointed at the little footstool and said, "Baby." I looked down only to see that the word baby was on it in huge letters. I was floored!! A few days later I asked her what the same word said and she again said, "Baby!" I have no idea where she learned that, incredible!!

7. Jostles. So my little pea in the pod has, in the last week, decided to start dancing and moving and grooving in my belly. I am amazed when I look down and see a bump here, a thump there. I missed it so much in the last 2 1/2 years, I am loving feeling it again!!

8. Deals. Saturday we dropped by Old Navy to see if they had Halloween costumes yet and whew, were they having the sale. They had adult jeans for $12!! Michael is hard on jeans so he really needed new ones and got 3 new pair for the price we would have paid for 1!! I love it when that happens!

9. Polka dot love. Also on Saturday we went to the outlet mall and found the kids a couple of things. My favorite though is a fall vest for the peanut that is brown with pink and orange polka dots all over it. It is kind of heavy but she so loved it, she walked around in the 90 degree heat sporting it, so cute!!

10. Giggles with Daddy. That night after we got home, the peanut wanted in the pool so bad that Michael got in with her. I was inside and could hear the laughing and fun having when I decided I couldn't miss the moment. I threw on my bathing suit and we played dolphin, made waves and just had a terrific time being a family. Gotta love it!

What are you smiling about today?

Here we go again

So a lot of you said for some reason you couldn't see the clip of Lilla saying the names, so I'm trying again. Hopefully this will work! Her reaction, to the second name, which is actually an option right now is just funny. I think she has an opinion, how about you?

10 Smile Tuesday

Hi all! I can't believe it's been over a week since I've blogged. Not purposely, I actually meant to after our ultrasound on Thursday but we've just been busy since. And, well ok, I'm admittedly addicted to the Olympics. I'm so not kidding. I'm not even really into sports, but the way the divers and gymnasts have been performing and the absolute drama of Michael Phelps, whew, I can't even help but watch!! Have you been watching too?

Well, in between my Olympic intoxication, we have had some great smiles too. Here we go...

1. Thursday was our big reveal, and guess what we're having? Lilla would like to tell you...

I actually had another video that told you the names too but I couldn't download it, probably too big, so if you are curious, go here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0hVgNfwlCA

2. Wednesday we packed up the troops and headed the the state fair. We absolutely love the state fair, particularly on free day (you can get free tickets to get in out of the paper the day before) and had so much fun. We sampled some of the treats but mostly had fun at the exhibits. Including a ridiculously huge display of cheese and an experience in farming exhibit just for the kids. The peanut had a blast with her little apron on, planting crops, picking, milking the "cow" and taking it all to market!

3. Planning. We've finally started planning for the MOPS year and I am looking so forward to it. We had two meetings last week and are having another this Friday. I think it's going to be an exciting year and I'm really looking forward to my involvement. I'm the hospitality coordinator and helping out the MOPS coordinator as much as possible.

4. Date night. Michael's parents watched the peanut while we had a yummy dinner made of half price appetizers and ceasar salads. We then went to Borders and just hung out, which I used to do all the time pre-peanut so I love that. Then we headed over the Cheesecake Factory to indulge in a piece of Snickers Cheesecake. Fabulous!

5. Speech. The peanut's speech is getting better and better everyday and she's turning into quite the comedian. I guess she was done watching cartoons the other day because she walks over, pushes the off button and says, "Be quiet TV." Too funny!

6. Ribbit. The other day we were in the backyard and Buddy (the dog) found a baby frog. Michael picked it up and the peanut was fascinated. It was so cute to watch her just enamored by this frog. She had to introduce herself and explain who we were too. Adorable!
7. A trot. We have a really nice trail that is about 2 miles long here in town. It's a great way to get out and just walk, which I barely use. Yesterday I decided it would be great for the peanut and I to get out and we had such a terrific time just enjoying nature and getting some fresh air!

8. I miss you. The peanut's favorite thing to say these days is, "I miss you." I think she's mixing it up with "I love you" because she says it when she's cuddling and loving on you. It's just so precious, you can't help but feel endeared to it.

9. Little Michael. The peanut just wants to do everything Michael is doing lately and it is adorable to see her doing his little habits like tapping on things when he does or taking off her shirt when daddy does. It's really precious to see how much my girl loves her daddy!

10. In the kitchen. Yesterday the peanut and I decided to bake up some yummies so we made white bread, bruschetta and homemade mac and cheese. Everything certainly takes longer but it's so fun to watch her learning about cooking and how it all works together to bring out something yummy. And, we have yummies to enjoy afterward!!

What made you smile this week?

In my boots...

So yesterday I happened upon a stray bag of clothes in my garage. Where it came from I am not sure, although I have a sneaky suspicion it may have been my sister-in-law Stephanie. Hi Stephanie! :) Anyway, upon examination, I found kid clothes, still too big for the peanut, and some shoes. What caught my eye though were these super cute dark red boots that I had to oooo and aaaaa over to the peanut. She instantly was in love and HAD to wear them! Way too big, but when you are 2, does that even matter? Here is the result...

Not that I'm biased or anything (yeah right!) but that is ONE cute kid!!

2 1/2

Today Lilla is 2 1/2...where did my little baby go? A year ago last week we were in Hungary where we pushed her stroller as she was just beginning to walk. Her, mostly, inaudible sounds, have become complete sentences. She loves to count everything, fingers, stairs, fruits. You name it, she is on to this whole math gig! I think the thing she finds the most joy in is playing a game of mommy or daddy catching her. She loves it and will shout out behind her, "Catch me! Catch me!", it is just totally adorable with her little laughter floating behind. Lilla is Ms. Independent. Many times when you start to do something for her, she will snatch it from your hands, proclaiming, "I do it!" Her most recent is to say, "I do it first!!" While she still holds tight to me in unknown situations, when things are familiar, there is often little use for the mama's leg anymore. Last week at VBS, I tried to get her attention while walking around taking pictures, but she was sure not to look at me as she was afraid I would take her away from her friends and all the fun they were having. I could hardly believe what a difference the past months have made!

Anything having to do with art is probably her most favorite thing to do. Since she was a baby she has loved to color, which has now expanded to drawing in the lines, making smiley faces on he doodlepro, fingerpainting and brush painting, markers, sidewalk art, you name it, she absolutely loves it! I am often amazed at how long some playdough and a few cutters can last her! The other day we made daddy a get well card and she had the most fun using my Cricut and gluing little pieces together. It was certainly her own work of art!! Her other favorite way to spend time is anything to do with water. She is a water bug, of the grandest measure. She could spend days in the pool, even when it is cold. Her lips are turning blue and she just wants more, more, more!

As these past two and a half years have flown by, I sit and think about what life would be like without her. Did I ever laugh before I saw the funny faces she makes, full of expression and humor? Did I ever consider danger or darkness before she came along and my thoughts turned to her little eyes and ears? Did I ever cry before she made me melt when she talks about Jesus? Life is certainly more complicated now than it has ever been in my history. But, oh, I am ever so thankful for my little piece of heaven right here on Earth!

Sometimes...

Over a month ago we lost two of our chickens to some wild animal. We are not sure what, our dogs just pulled their bones out of the wooded area and they were picked clean so it could have been any number of animals. Anyway, our local feed store finally got some full grown chickens in this week so we stopped by to get them and let the chicken laying begin again. We had left our coop open for the past week or so to let the chickens free graze so Michael had to go through the wooded area to find them and get them back in the coop to introduce them to each other. We won't let these chickens free graze until they get the picture that the coop is their new home. So, before we could close the door we had to get the first chickens.

Well, Michael was searching through the trees, that all sit on a pretty sharp hill on our lot when I saw the creek was full again and yelled to him, "Hey, the creek is full, is the ground wet?" He then proceeded to call back, "Yes, and slippery...." Just then I heard a boom and an, "Oooooooochhh". My poor hubby skidded down the hill a bit and ran smack into a tree. Ooooo, that had to hurt. Of course I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the situation. Sometimes you gotta just burst into fits of inappropriate laughter, you know?

Thursday 13

In light of the fact that next week is our big ultrasound, or as I like to call it, The Big Reveal, I thought I would tell you 13 baby names I like really well.

1. Nathaniel
2. Joshua
3. Jacob
4. Michael
5. Zachary
6. Benjamin
7. Nicklaus
8. Bree
9. Anya
10. Anna
11. Ella
12. Katelynn
13. Elizabeth

Can you guess which names we've chosen? What names do you like?

Go to www.thursdaythirteen.com and make your own list!!

Yummo!

I just had to share this recipe with you all! This is for the carrot cake I made for Michael for his birthday pictured below. It was seriously fantastic and was worth the time I spent grating those carrots! I got the recipe from allrecipes.com, my favorite site to find new and fun things to cook up. If you've not been before, you should do yourself a favor and check it out, I'm always finding new stuff I can't wait to try there. Anyway, on with the recipe...

INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Birthday Hubby Edition

Mama, He Rose

The other day I was at Hobby Lobby and found this great deal on really cheap celtic crosses. I've always thought they were really cool looking so I decided to buy five of them to put on my wall. When I got home I realized one just didn't fit with the others and four didn't look right together so I wound up with three on the wall. I didn't realize until they were all up that it was reminiscent of Calvary. They really look quite beautiful on the wall and it is a great reminder everyday of my Saviour.

The next day, when the peanut came down for breakfast, she immediatly noticed the new wall fixtures. She asked what they were and I explained to her about the cross where Jesus died, I told her that he died for our sins and why we were so thankful to Him for that. I had actually explained this to her in the past as her Grandmother is Catholic and wears a crucifix on her neck with Jesus on it. When she asked about it her grandma told her that Jesus died and for the rest of the day that is what she announced to everyone. When I heard about that the next day I pushed hard for her to understand that Jesus did die, but He rose again. Jesus Lives!, I told her.

Well, then last night at dinner, Michael mentioned something about the crosses on the wall. I asked the peanut what they were and she explained to Michael, the cross...Jesus died. That was then followed up with, "But, Jesus rose, Jesus LIVES!!

Oh, but how I will hold these moments in my heart. Thank you Lord for a daughter who "gets it!" Even a two year old can get it.

On Falling Leaves

Is it just me or is anyone else longing for Autumn? I love the crisper cooler weather that brings with it trips to the apple orchard, picking out pumpkins, sweatshirts and apple cider. I even loved it as a kid as it meant new school clothes and sharpened pencils. Really, even as an adult, that is still what I think of as the days get a bit shorter everyday and the school bells get closer to ringing. In fact, I had to go to the mall yesterday for a birthday gift, and couldn't resist purchasing a cute little fall outfit for the peanut. The shirt is a terrific bright orange and the pants a crazy mix of all fall hues. It just screams, "Jump in the leaves please!!" to me.

Now, don't get me wrong, I really like a lot of things about summer. I love to swim, although I don't get as many chances as I did when I was younger and pools and lakes abounded. I love the summer festivals where we visit the farm animals and shamelessly walk away with $3 plastic hammers from the falsy duck ponds. I love to drive around the country and see the tall corn, a beautiful shade of green, tenderly moving with the wind.

But, I am an autumn girl through and through, and am desperately looking forward to my favorite harvest season. Now, if only we could stop it from turning into winter....

I like free stuff!

They are doing it again. Over at 5 Minutes for Mom, they are hosting another giveaway. I really like to get things for just leaving a comment, how about you? There is a button in my sidebar, follow it and you might win some stuff too! Yeah!!

Child of Mine

Have you ever heard this song, Child of Mine, by Carole King? It's just a lovely interpretation of a mother's love for her child. MY love for MY child. I'm just so glad Lilla is a child of mine! Here are the lyrics.

Although you see the world
Different than me
Sometimes I can touch upon
The wonders that you see
And all the new colours
And pictures you've designed
Oh yes sweet darlin'
So glad you are a chi-ild of mine

Child of mine, chi-ild of mine
Oh yes sweet darlin'
So glad you are a chi-ild o-of mine

You don't need directions
You know which way to go
And I don't wanna hold you back
I just wanna watch you grow
You're the one who taught me
You don't have to look behind
Oh yes sweet darlin'
So glad you are a child of mine

Child of mine, child of mine
Oh yes sweet darlin'
So glad you are a child of mine

Nobody's gonna kill your dreams
Or tell you how to live your life
There'll always be people
To make it hard for a while
But you'll change their head
When they see you smile

The times you were born in
May not have been the best
But you can make the times to come
Better than the rest
I know you will be honest
If you can't a-always be kind
Oh yes sweet darlin'
So glad you are a child of mine

Child of mine, chi-ild of mine
Oh yes sweet darlin'
So glad you are a child of mine

10 Smile Tuesday

Whew, we had quite the week last week. We just went and went and went... by Sunday night, all three of us were just collapsing from the busyness. I usually lay in bed for at least 1/2 hour just thinking before I fall asleep, but not Sunday. I layed my head down and I was so out, whew! Just one busy week! There were a lot of smiles in it though, so here you go...

1. VBS. Oh, it was just so fun to watch the kids have such a great time and really learn the truth about creationism and be able to refute evolution. Most of it I already knew, but I have to say, it sure was a good refresher for me. Loved it!

2. At the end of the program on Friday the 2 and 3's sang Jesus Love me and repeated the verse, "Your word is truth." John 17:17. It was so fun watching Lilla learn it and say it. She particularly loved to say 17:17! So cute. The peanut is the shortest of the kids. You gotta watch a few seconds in to see just how adorable it gets.


3. On Saturday we had a birthday lunch for my brother at Longhorn. Right after lunch he proposed to his girlfriend! Yes, right there, in Longhorn. We all almost flipped out. Looks like there will be a November wedding. Crazy times!

4. After that birthday party, we went to my good friend, Claudia's, son's 1st birthday party. It's always nice to see my friend and her parents. We couldn't stay long but you gotta love sweet fellowship like that!

5. Following the birthday party, we headed an hour and a half away to my parent's house. We dropped off the peanut and went to my 15 year high school reunion. Something which I thought I'd never do, since I was so shy in high school and never spoke to anyone, but I actually had a really great time just catching up with people and finding out, whatever happened to???

6. The peanut has been doing this new thing lately, when she sees my husband after work she runs up to him, hugs his legs and yells, "I MISS YOU DADDY!!" So precious!

7. Two zucchini and four green beans. Yes, weird I know, but my garden has finally produced something other than lettuce and strawberries. The flood basically rotted the roots of everything so we thought it would be totally dead, there are some things growing finally though, very exciting! The cantalope plants are getting really big too so hopefully something will happen. Along with the pumpkin plants...let's just hope. LOL

8. The other day when my husband came in from mowing he was going to jump in the shower when he passed the peanut while taking off his shirt. She immediatly had to do the exact same thing and follow him around the house doing whatever he did. She's been doing a lot of that lately, she just wants to be like him. It reminds me of how we should be with Jesus, disciples.

9. What happened? This is the question always on the peanut's lips. While it can drive me nuts, I love that she is interested in discovering the world around her and wants to know what's going on.

10. Clothes. My sister in law was so kind to bestow me with another bag of clothes for the peanut on Sunday. As free is my favorite price always, I much appreciate the passing on of clothes!

What are you smiling about today?

Friends

This week at VBS I was the official photographer. I got some great shots of the kiddos, unfortunately, I'm going to choose not to post them since I don't have their parent's permission. Anyway, I was making the slideshow yesterday and the peanut was watching over my shoulder as I went through a bazillion photos. Suddenly she saw a girl in her class and asked me her name. I said, "Raelynn"... she said, "Friend."

Can life get anymore precious?

Reverisble Bird Seed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Totally want to win this for the peanut!!

Reverisble Bird Seed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

10 Smile Tuesday

Another Tuesday, another round of smiles for you that have kept us quite busy this last week!

1. Our biggest smile would have to be Michael's winnings at the county fair, thanks to our local GOP. It actually wound up being a win for the peanut, but it was Michael's name that was drawn out of over 600 others! We couldn't believe it when we heard the message on the answering machine, too fun! Here's the super duper first prize...

The sweetest part is when she got in it she said, "Thank you Daddy." After he said, "You're welcome," he then followed it up with, "You know Lilla, the Bible says that every good and perfect gift is from above, so let's thank Jesus for it." That was met with a, "Thank you Jesus," from the peanut. Just precious.

2. VBS at our church started yesterday, where I am the photographer, so I get to enjoy all the kids doing stuff they love while learning about God. Our theme is from answers in Genesis. It's so neat to hear proof of why we believe in Creationism and see the kids really getting it.

3. The joy on the peanut's face as she played a game at VBS last night. It was so precious to get to watch her from the outside and hear her precious little laughter.

4. An unexpected outing to my parent's house (they live an hour away) on Friday to go swimming. We had such fun just hanging out and enjoying the water!

5. A trip on Saturday to this humungous flea market that my parent's love to go to. We didn't find any ridiculously good deals, but it's the hunt that is really the fun part. It was super hot that day so I think that might have been part of having a hard time really concentrating to buy things.

6. Meeting up with my sister and her daughter's for an impromptu playdate today. We got some yummy Panera (they have a really incredible Strawberry/Mandarin/Blueberry/Walnut salad with poppyseed dressing that is sooooo fabulous there!) and then went to a local park and had a lovely little walk in the park.

7. A delicous new recipe I tried for a Maple Sausage Egg Casserole. Seriously fabulous!

8. My women's bible study on Thursday night. We are doing a survey of the new testament, and it is really interesting and has been great for getting to know some other MOPS women.

9. Holding hands. While we were at the flea market, my parent's took the peanut for awhile while Michael and I sifted the aisles. We are rarely alone so it was so sweet just walking hand in hand and talking about "things".

10. Our local 4-H fair. We learned about composting, goats and just enjoyed the animals. The peanut had a blast going from stall to stall with the animals. We went three times in the week they were here and just had fun. We totally decided to get a goat because they were so sweet. Then, we realized how they have a tendency to eat everything and it's brother and we decided not to be eaten out of retirement someday. :) Maybe we'll just stick with chickens!!

So what are you smiling about today? Do tell!

150

I got to hear the baby's heart beat again yesterday. Those 150 beats a minute may be one of the most precious sounds I've heard in my life.

That's all I wanted to say. :)

Wordless Wednesday - Being a Kid

Energize Me

Do you ever just have those days when you just feel worn down? You want nothing else on your plate, you want no more conversations, you think staring at a blank wall all day actually seems appealing.

Well today is one of those days for me. I just feel like I have nothing left to give. Pregnancy is probably part of it, and lack of really good sleep is a contributer, but I think the larger part is something much bigger: the peanut!

She's saying, "No pictures Mama!!"

She has just been such a firecracker lately. High energy, crabby, fit throwing, screaming MINE to anyone with eardrums, low patience levels, selfish...oh, how I could go on. She is just an absolute pill right now and I have to tell you, my own patience level has worn pretty thin in the last few weeks.

It's funny, when I was pregnant with the peanut my husband prayed for a strong willed child. His thought was once she becomes a Christian she will not be swayed by the ways of the world, but will be a leader. She will come out fighting for what she believes in and never back down. That is what we hope for.

Well, God does answer prayer, as we know. And he answered this one in a big way. She is certainly one of the strongest willed children I have ever known. She just has a philosophy on the way her world should be and darned if it doesn't go that way, she is going to let you know about it. Oh people, good times.

So, I am praying that God will give me strength and energy in the days to come. That I will not back down from parenting her in a Godly way and not just giving in to her because I'm tired. It is difficult, but I know that God has given me the tools to do just that, so I have to so her heart will be turned to Him.

Now, will someone please pass me a Redbull? :)