Loving My Domestic Life

And just like that you are SIX weeks old, but first, Your Birth Story

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 20:53:00 +0000

It was a Saturday. It started out the strangest day—at least as far as the weather was concerned. The northwest had had a particularly dry and hot summer and by late August, the wildfires were already in full force. They had actually been that way for several weeks. The winds had shifted and by late Saturday morning, there was a thick layer of smoke all around our neighborhood. I thought there was just a local fire somewhere that had generated all the smoke we were seeing and smelling, but that wasn’t the case. The whole metropolitan area had a layer of smoke in the lower atmosphere. Your daddy had texted when he had gotten to work and asked if there was a large fire somewhere in town……nope, that wasn’t the case. All the smoke was from all the wildfires across the state and with the winds shifting and the air movement now nearly stagnant, the smoke wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Plus, it was warm that day—about 86 degrees. It was all just kinda’ weird!

Much like we had done on nearly every other warm day over the summer, we headed over to your Grandma and Grandpa’s house after lunch. (I am sure that will be one of your earliest memories—spending LOTS of time at their house each and every summer. Your older sister and brother had a lot of energy to burn off that day (which was like every other, really) and it allowed your mommy to put her swollen feet up while they played—both in and out of the pool.

It was about 1:45 that afternoon when I felt the first contraction. I made note of the time in my head, but didn’t think terribly much of it. I had been having contractions on and off for the last several weeks and it hadn’t amounted to your arrival—so I wasn’t overly concerned.

About an hour and half later, the contractions were still happening and were about 10-12 minutes apart. Your Grandma had been in the kitchen preparing dinner (pulled pork sandwiches with fresh coleslaw) and she asked if it was okay to run to the store. I felt like things weren’t moving terribly fast, so I gave the go ahead. So she went to the store (with your sister and brother in tow) to get the needed items to finish making the garden fresh salsa.

Your Grandpa had been outside working on re-siding their greenhouse, but when Grandma told him they were heading to the store and that I might possibly be in the early stages of labor, he took the opportunity to come inside and check on me. He told me he was going to call it a day (as far as the greenhouse was concerned) and headed upstairs to shower and get cleaned up. I told him to please not do that on the account of me—but he insisted, saying that your aunt and uncle were also coming to dinner, so he had to get cleaned up either way. He had been upstairs all of ten minutes, when I heard him heading back down, all showered and cleaned up. My dear son, Grandpa is notorious for long showers. Even though the words had not been spoken, he was concerned for me and you, his new grandson, and he was doing his best to keep an eye on us!

A little while later your daddy had texted me to see how I was feeling. He had been checking in with me during his workday for several weeks…..as if I wouldn’t have let him know the time had come for your arrival! I told him about the contractions and he let his boss know that he might need to leave. A few contractions after that and your daddy was headed home (well, to G&G’s because that’s where we were all at). Like Grandpa, your daddy made it from his restaurant (half way across the county) to G&G’s in record time. Like nearly illegal record time, as it didn’t take him nearly as long as it should have to get there!

By the time your daddy had arrived, the contractions had started to intensify, BUT they were becoming very irregular. Some were five minutes apart, but most were anywhere from 10-20 minutes apart. We just weren’t sure what to think! Either way, we wanted to be prepared—so we felt it was a good idea to go pack up. Your daddy and I headed back to our house to get our bags for the hospital and to also pack bags for your sister and brother. It had already been decided they would spend the night at grandma and grandpa’s. We took our time (sort of, but not really!) gathering our things and soon we were headed back.

I was afraid to eat dinner, not wanted to get nauseous if this was the real deal, so I had a small snack while everyone else enjoyed the yummy meal Grandma had prepared. The state of the contractions stayed pretty much the same through dinner. Intense enough to concentrate on the first level of breathing, but not regular in minutes apart.

So your daddy and I decided to take a walk down G&G’s street. That seemed to move things in the right direction, because at several points during the fairly short walk, we had to stop walking so I could concentrate on my breathing. When we got back to G&G’s, we sat down in the outside “living room” and the contractions all but stopped.

We decided to head home for the night. We said our good byes to your sweet sister and brother, and during the short drive home, the contractions started to return with a little more consistency. After being home for about an hour—I told your daddy I was going to touch up my make-up and fix my hair—as silly as it sounds, I wanted to look as nice as I could to meet my new son! I paged my midwife, Donna, and we chatted for a few minutes. She didn’t feel it was quite time to head to the hospital, but told us that if things changed, to just give her a page and we should head on out.

I labored for about another hour and a half and it was about 10 pm when your daddy decided that it was time to head to the hospital. Although the contractions were still about 8 minutes apart, they were getting closer together with each contraction and with this being our third blessing, we didn’t want to mess around! Daddy paged Donna on the way to the hospital and she agreed it was time and told us she would call the hospital and meet us there shortly.

During my prenatal appointments, they had told us that we could go through the emergency room at the hospital to get to Labor and Delivery if it happened to be after hours. Of course, your mommy was stubborn and decided that we could just walk in the normal entrance to Labor and Delivery. All while having contractions every two to three minutes. Clearly, I was insane. We walked across the sky bridge to the hospital entrance and (unbeknownst to us!) the doors were locked that allowed visitors into the hospital. Lovely! However, there did happen to be a phone that went straight to security and they opened the doors immediately. I guess when they saw on their security cameras the pregnant mama standing there gripping the handrails of the sky bridge to let another contraction pass, they allowed us through with no questions asked.

We walked in and got checked in at the Labor and Delivery desk. (And can I just share that even though we had preregistered at the hospital, there seemed to be a RIDICULOUS number of papers to fill out and sign when you are having contractions every two minutes???!?!) I was still worried that they might try and send us home (perhaps I wasn’t far enough along yet?), but your daddy knew this was the day. We were assigned our room and I went into the bathroom to change into the gown and use the potty. By this time, the contractions were a VERY consistent two minutes apart and were VERY much intense. As I had told my midwife, I was doing the HEE-HEE breathing. That’s a sure sign that baby is on his way!

A few minutes after I got settled (!) into bed, your Grandma arrived as my second “support person.” She had the camera and was taking a few pictures of your daddy and I, all while making sure to stay out of the way of the hospital staff. The nurse got my IV set (for my antibiotics—I had GBS strep) and brought me the BEST ice chips EV-AAH! During the last few weeks of pregnancy I became sort of obsessed with crunchy ice and they ice chips? They were DELISH.

By this time, the midwife apprentice, Ashley, was also there and she was asking if I was feeling “a little pushy” and while I hadn’t really thought about it (they checked me right when we got there and I was at a six, so I wasn’t thinking that I was ready yet), I decided that heck yes, I was ready to push! She told me that with the next contraction to go ahead and try pushing and so I did. And with just two pushes (not the three hours of pushing with your sister or the hour and half of pushing with your brother), you had finally arrived! And just for the record, we checked in the hospital at just after 10:30 pm and you were officially born at 11:24 pm. I was so glad your daddy made the call to head to the hospital when he did. Me? I was otherwise occupied and was not really able to make that decision to the best of my abilities.

You had a head full of blondish and brownish hair. Blond on the top of your head and dark brown hair all around the sides—so funny! You weighed in at 8 pounds and 1 ounce and the nurse measured you at 19 inches, which we are all convinced was wrong! We measured you at home just a few days later and you were 20.5 inches. My milk hadn’t even come in yet and you had already grown an inch and a half? Probably not, plus, both your siblings were 21 inches, so the 20.5 inches sounds much more realistic. Then the nurse measured you at your two week appointment at 23 inches and while you had definitely gained some weight, there was no way you had grown a total of 4 inches!

Unlike your sister and brother, you LOVED your first bath. The only time you cried was when the nurse took you out of the water and you were exposed to the cold air. As Daddy pointed out though, the bath is very much like the womb—warm and watery—but a lot less confined. Funny that your siblings never felt the same way!

You were a great nursing champ from the start. You did have a bit of jaundice, so you did have to go under the blue lights while we were still in the hospital. That was a bummer, but having been through it with your big brother, while still difficult, we knew it was necessary.

Later on the following afternoon, your Grandma and Grandpa came to visit with your big sister and newly promoted big brother. They were SO excited to meet you! They had heard about you for nearly six months and you were finally, finally here! This picture pretty much sums up your sister’s opinion of you: adoration. And your brother, well, this sums it up too: very curious with a lot of adult intervention!

We are settling into our party of five quite well. Not to say it hasn’t been without growing pains, because there have been those for sure.

Regardless......you, my sweet baby boy, are a blessing that I didn’t know we ever needed.

And I am completely, most entirely IN LOVE.

A Rainbow Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 07:30:00 +0000

We did Peanut's party about five weeks early this year because of the Trifecta's expected arrival date. I'm so glad we did too, because I was/am feeling every bit of 37 weeks pregnant. I can't imagine doing the party at 39 or 40 weeks OR even one or two weeks postpartum AND nursing at the same time. There's just no way!

It was SO ridiculously HOT this last Saturday, but the kids had a great time swimming in my parents pool. So thankful to have that option of entertainment! I'll just share the rest in photos.

Dinosaur Themed Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 01:30:00 +0000

Again, this was over a month ago......but let's just ignore that teensy fact, mkay?

Just wanted to make sure that it was recorded for all to see that our little brother (soon to be older brother!) DID in fact, turn three.

Kindergarten Graduation

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 03:51:00 +0000

I am not even going to go there about how late this is. Considering this happened at the end of May.

Ahem.

OR how I even feel about Kindergarten "graduation." I mean, really?!?!??

But I found these pictures all edited and ready to go and realized how I never even posted them. And considering school starts a month from today, I better get these posted. Otherwise, what's the point--amIright?

Why, yes, yes, I am.

Our girl with her wonderful Kindergarten and music teacher. What a year this was!

Trifecta @ 35 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 05:04:00 +0000

Yep, still alive and doing well. Hard to believe I have only about 4 weeks to go. Say what??!?! Just wanted to put up a quick pictorial update of my/his progress. Doctors confirmed today that while I do have gestational diabetes, I am doing really well maintaining it (with diet ~~and exercise~~)and our littlest love doesn't seem to be affected by it--at least according to my ultrasound on Friday. PTL!

Busy planning our girl's seventh (!) birthday party (we are doing it early due to my expected due date), taking naps, taking the kids swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's, and trying my hardest to take it easy these last few weeks. Hope you all are having a relaxing summer! xoxoxo

Trifecta @ 27 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Sun, 24 May 2015 21:22:00 +0000

Apparently, I'm going for another nine pounder.

Peanut INSISTED I add their prospective ages. Ahem.

In my defense though, I've pretty much stopped gaining weight since I started watching my carbs about 6-8 weeks ago. Just goes to show what those pesky carbs that I love so much do for your body. Or at least what they do in abundance like I like to enjoy.

Ahem.

I had my last midwife appointment on Friday and my belly is measuring right on target for the number of weeks I am, so rest assured our little guy hasn't been starving at all. At least, not like his mama! When you subside on meals of nearly all proteins and veggies (and some fruits--oh, and cheese, LOTS of cheese), I sure seem to be way hungrier all. the. time. I know "they" say proteins are supposed to make you seem fuller and sustain you longer, but that just doesn't seem to be the case? At least not for me.

Anyhow, this one is a very active little guy. He's busy kicking around as I sit here and type. I'm trying to savor these moments (the feeling of the baby kick is by far, my very favorite part of pregnancy!), 'cause as far as I'm concerned, this will be our last. I know I said that last time, but seriously, I am so not getting any younger. I'm thirty-six, which I know is a "baby" in the "advanced maternal age" scale, but holy smokes, there is a BIG difference in carrying a baby at twenty-nine (our Peanut) and our little guy, now at thirty-six. BIG difference. HUGE. Besides, I'm not nearly as righteous as Sarah or Hannah or Elizabeth....so I can't foresee God having any other surprises either!

Ha ha ha!

The Gender Reveal

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Mon, 04 May 2015 03:59:00 +0000

I should fully disclose that my husband was not behind this at all. Don't even get him started on how he thinks it completely narcissistic and the whole idea of "revealing the gender" {in a big way} is ridiculous. He thinks it is completely self-centered and is purely driven by social media to "one-up" the next person.

Me? I just thought it was a cute idea.

Plain and simple.

It ended up being a partial compromise on my part, because I wanted to be completely surprised and have the ultrasound tech seal it up in an envelope and we could take it to a bakery and have the cake done and be completely surprised. We may or may not of had a heated discussion about this the morning of.

Ahem.

But then, he pulled out the "I always give in [to whatever] and I think you should do this for me." Well, that laid it on pretty thick.

Ahem.

So we found out the day of the ultrasound and we each told our immediate families right away. Because I had my heart set on doing a cake, we revealed it to my extended family this afternoon, on our normal day for Sunday Family Dinner. No special party needed. Ha!

So drum roll please....................we are having another...........................

BOY!

Most important though is that from what they can tell, he looks really healthy, with all his measurements being right where they should be.

And to that I say amen!

And PS......

(Please excuse the cake as it looks a little green here on the good ol' internet. I even photoshopped it, adding in some more blue and for WHATEVER strange reason, it looks nice and blue on my own personal computer file, but when I upload it, it takes on the green tinge again! Anywho......)

21 Weeks Update

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 04:37:00 +0000

There are three things that instantly come to mind when I compare these pictures:

1. I realize I was working full time when I was pregnant with the Peanut, but gosh, I looked tired and haggard! Couple that with the fact that we didn't know about using the manual settings on our camera and using things like oh, you know, natural light. Finally, my natural hair color certainly didn't help! (Oh, and FYI....my mom has been doing my weave for the last six months....doesn't she do good work?)

2. Look at how big the Peanut has gotten! Whatta' doll!

3. Yes, I am much bigger this third time around. With that, two things:

a) So are most of the other bloggers I see who post their pregnancy progress pics with their #3. So mom, it's not just me. Ha!

b) I've been testing my blood sugar (I had gestational diabetes with Peanut, so I still have all my "gear" to test my blood sugar) and I am pretty much for sure that I have it this time around as well. I have my next check up on Monday and I'll talk with my midwife about it then. I am sure she will order up the glucose test early this time around, so I am guessing I should know for sure quite soon. (Although I don't really need a formal test to tell me what I already know.) Also, I've been trying to be careful for the last month or two, but I certainly wasn't denying myself--not to the point that it hurt anyway. For the last week, I have been pretty much going high protein, high fat, and low, low carb. And you know what? I feel so much better. I'm still tired with having a very rambunctious 2.5 year old little boy keeping me on my toes, but wow, what a difference this last week has made. Hmmmm......and I won't even get into the implications this has on my overall long term health--except all these years of no exercise are catching up with me. Boo!

Finally, and most importantly, we had our ultra sound this week and the baby looks really healthy. So praise God for that--cause that's the most important, amen? Amen.

Easter 2015 in Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 06:11:00 +0000

Our girl has quite the social calendar.

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 05:54:00 +0000

The last week has been pretty busy around here. Busy for us that is. I know plenty of people that are much busier than we are, but either way, we've had lots going on!

Last week, our little Peanut had her second trimester awards assembly, for which she received a certificate for Highest Honors. She essentially got straight A's or pluses in our case. I didn't even know they did this in Kindergarten, but apparently they do. And while one part of me thinks it's kinda silly (I mean it is just Kindergarten), the other part of me is really proud! Kindergarten or not, this girl has learned a TON this school year. She is reading now, learning to tell time, learning addition and subtraction, to count by 2's, 5's, 10's--the list goes on and on. So the fact that she is learning so much and retaining nearly all of that information is impressive.

She also had to do a country report this week (with a fair amount of help from mom and dad-which was expected) and we had the opportunity to sit in on her little presentation. She did well--she just needs to learn to speak up a little. I have no idea where she gets that from! Ahem.

Yesterday, while the little brother and daddy were both taking naps, the Peanut and I snuck (apparently this is not a word? whatev) off to the library to pick up a book I had requested for her. I have been reading Beverly Cleary's Ramona series to the Peanut before bed. My mom and dad gave her a big ol' boxed set of Beverly Cleary books at Christmas. However, for whatever reason, the publisher's included all but one (!) of the Ramona books in the set.

So I requested it from the library and it finally came. Since it was just us (sans the 2.5 year old), we got the Peanut set up with her own library card now that she can write her own name. Well. That just about made her year. Yes, her year. As the librarian was entering her application in the computer, she pulled out a box from underneath the counter with these cute little crocheted library card purses that some sweet little volunteer ladies make for kids who are getting their first library cards. Oh my. You would have thought the Peanut was just handed the moon. Excited does not even begin to describe it. She tried to wear the purse to bed last night, which I quickly nixed for fear of strangulation. But then, when we got to school today to watch her give her presentation, I saw her wearing her little purse. Apparently, she brought the library card purse to school. Which neither her daddy or I knew about. Nice. I fear the teenage years already.

Lastly, the Peanut had her spring voice recital on Monday night (Grandpa's 60th birthday! Happy Birthday, Dad!) and she sang her solo, Singing in the Rain. Me? I cried. Because I am a sap like that. She did really well though. It's amazing to see her confidence grow on stage each time she gets up there.

So I will end with the video of her performance. It's kinda cute.

15 or 16 Weeks Update. Close enough, right?

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 05:52:00 +0000

Thought I should give an update on this good ol' blog. You know, since I dropped some fairly big news the last time I wrote. I've been feeling pretty well. I was pretty nauseous and tired there for awhile, but the nauseousness is pretty much all gone (yay for me!) and while I am still tired on occasion, I am feeling much more energetic than I was even just a month ago. As of this writing I am 15 weeks along, which makes the graphic below entirely inaccurate. But, close enough, right? 15.....16 weeks? Gosh, I am already starting to sound like a three time mom. I am just too tired right now to pull up CS5 and create that photo all over again. In my defense, I didn't even have a photo with me and the little brother between 13 and 19 weeks, so the fact that I am keeping up with a pregnancy photo every four weeks is a definite step up from last time!

According to all sorts of information on the internets, the baby is the size of an apple. Or in my case, a sack of apples. Whichev. Apparently, the nauseousness from a few weeks back certainly didn't inhibit my caloric intake. As of about three weeks ago, I started testing my blood sugar again (I had gestational with the Peanut, but NOT the little brother) and since then, I've been trying to be really good. And I've succeeded for the most part--I've had dessert at a few family functions, but I've curtailed my nightly candy intake completely. Yes, I know. Like I really needed that! Just know that that is a very REAL sacrifice for me and I've been doing it. I've also been watching my overall carb intake, so hopefully my glucose test will be good like last time.

We celebrated my sweet Hubs birthday yesterday. The last year of his 30's. Wow. Because we are always on such a tight budget, we celebrated by taking the kids to a nearby park--one in the northern part of our county that we rarely, rarely visit. Our weather has been unseasonably dry and also warm--at least for this part of the country. We packed a picnic lunch and the kids got to play for hours on the play structure and kick the soccer ball and play catch with daddy. They even got juice boxes--a rarity. (You should have heard them telling my parents about it later when they stopped by....juice boxes AND the park. It was the best. day. ever. At least they are easy to please!) Then we came home and we all took naps (every one of us!) and for dinner we had the Daddy's birthday dinner request--grilled carne asada. It was a really nice, relaxing day.

Finally, just a little picture I snapped of the kids a few weeks ago with my parents lab. It's one of my new favorites!

I'm pregnant. And no one is more surprised than me!

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 02:28:00 +0000

And to clarify, this wasn't a little "surprise".

I guess I have some 'splaining to do, don't I?

When our sweet boy was less than six months old, I declared we were "done." Keep in mind I was still getting used to being a mom to two littles, still a little bit postpartum AND a lotta bit tired AND overwhelmed by the day to day. Not to mention the shear strong will of my precious four year girl. Combine that with breastfeeding every few hours and when the question would come if we were having any more, my immediate response was, "Oh, no! We are definitely DONE."

But then wouldn't you know it, I had this guy living here (my husband) and I hadn't really given a thought to what his opinion was in terms of being done with having any more children. #marriagecommunicationfail

We I even went as far as sending Craig to the "big V" consultation. Because I was SO sure. And he was so NOT sure, but he also knew there was still time to back out, if needed. I mean, the consult is just that. The big snip comes later--at the next appointment.

And the next appointment? It never happened.

And then I started to have all these quiet little whispers. But amongst those quiet whispers, I also had some loud internal arguements with said whispers.

"We can hardly afford the two we already have."

"Money doesn't grow on trees, Jackie."

"I am not having another child at 36 years old. Not to mention Hubs will be 39. Thirty-NINE!!!!!"

"We will have to buy a new car. We CANNOT afford a new car."

"The kids rooms are tiny as they are.....how will one of them share.....?"

"What about tuition?" I mean, one child in private school is already a STRETCH. Two was mind boggling. Three? Yeah, right.

All this without mentioning (but I will anyway): The desire to private school = first world problem.

Hubs and I went round and round about it. And round and round some more. He is the optimist. I am the ~~pessimist~~ realist. He sees the joy in the having three sweet kids that are just as much of a blessing as the bible promises they are. While I see the three little blessings, I also see diapers, braces, and college tuition--plus, I KNOW what our checkbook looks like each month.

But then in my nightly blog reading one evening, I came across this post COMPLETELY at random. It's not a blog I normally read and to be honest, I don't even really remember how I got to it. But I do know I wasn't googling "assurances when adding additional babies in your family." And the post voiced all those worries I had of adding another to our family. Practical reasons at that--but the post was convicting all the same.

Then about six months ago (shortly after I read the above post), I had a conversation with my mom. And my mom (who is just as much of a planner as I am, but who has also gained some wisdom along the way) chastised me for only trusting God as far as I could see. And funny enough, she doesn't even remember having that conversation. But I do.

Then I went to my sweet friend's baby shower last fall, for you guessed it, their third little baby.

And at said shower, I had a conversation with my friend's mom {a mama of three!} and her friend from church who had just had her third little--advanced maternal age and all.

So we stopped our prevention methods (ahem.....) and figured if God wanted it to happen, He would allow it to happen.

The last little reassurance came when I had a conversation with my Aunt around Thanksgiving. I think I was actually already (?) pregnant at this point and she was telling me all her reasons for why we should have at least one more--of course she was telling me from experience, as she is also a mama of three herself!

Fast forward to today, and I am right at about 13 weeks. We are very excited--despite my small amount of apprehension (it's HARD to let go of that control you think you have!). I am feeling well overall. Just the standard tiredness--but that is most likely from not getting to bed on time. #doasisaynotasido

And here I am having a child at advanced maternal age and eating my 23 year old self's words--"Mom! I am NOT going to have kids into my late thirties!" Ha!

Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor or that He can't change someone's heart??

Life Does Go On After Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 06:10:00 +0000

I set a goal for myself that I wanted to get another post up on this here blog by the end of January. And here we are with just three hours to go and I am achieving said goal.

Clearly, I strive for greatness.

Most who know me in real life know that I call January "let down month." It truly does stink. If I had to rank the months from favorite to least favorite, January wouldn't even make the cut. All the festivities are over, school is back in session, and while I once claimed I ~~like~~ love winter, I've come to realize I simply don't. What I do love is the fall/winter season right up until real life resumes the day after Christmas break. And then? Well, winter might as well be done. Which is truly discouraging, since according to that thing we call an almanac, says that we have about another 10-11 weeks of winter left.

Hmph.

Now, if we actually got a little snow, that could certainly change my perspective, but the weather here has been very, very mild and I don't see any snow in our near future. Not that I am a meteorologist or anything.

So, here are just a few highlights from the last time I posted.....

As I mentioned awhile back, my awesome dad has been working on the top part of our "built-in" desk. I'm getting SO excited.....it's getting so much closer to being done!

♥

At Peanut's school, we have to put in volunteer hours for each student enrolled. Because I have a two year old and a hard working husband that works crazy hours, I didn't feel comfortable committing to things/activities at school with never knowing what the Hub's schedule would be and not knowing if I would have someone to watch the boy. So. I signed up to help with a fruit platter once a month for the weekly staff meetings. It was something I could do completely from home and I could just drop off in the office. (Side note: I was totally hoping for the muffins portion {so much cheaper!}, but they only had need for the fruit platter, which I guess is how God wanted me to bless them, so there you have it!)

Well, despite all my ranting and raving about the month of January, ironically, out of the three fruit platters I did (September, October, and January--November and December aren't done because of the holidays), January ended up being both the prettiest and best tasting month!

♥

On New Year's Eve, I was reading the little brother's devotion to him before bed and it talked about being thankful for all the blessings from the past year. I asked him what he was thankful for this year. I kid you not, he looked at me and whispered, "Money in my piggy bank."

ALEX P. KEATON.

I couldn't make this stuff up even if I tried.

♥

We've had quite a few nice days in these last few weeks and so the kids were actually able to play outside. The Peanut was all into her chalk drawings and the little brother was semi-interested in the chalk. What he really liked was the small piece of bubble wrap I gave him to play with that was from a package I received that afternoon. Yes, I know you aren't supposed to give small children pieces of plastic to play with. #momfail

Peanut also got to have fun at her school's Family Fun Night this past Friday night. She got to eat pizza, an ice cream sandwich, popcorn, and I even threw caution to the wind and let her get an orange soda instead of water. Plus, she got to play in three bounce houses, get a balloon flower from the balloon animal artist, play the Plinko booth, shoot in a basketball shot competition, and walk in a cupcake walk.

Obviously, she was miserable the whole time.

♥

Daddy converted the little brother's crib and now he has a "big boy" bed. He was just a little bit excited. He shows everyone who will watch how he can climb in and out "all by my-sef." It's pretty cute.

Except when the 6 am wake up call comes running into our room. #thatsnotcute

♥

My aunt and uncle got the Peanut a Lego set for Christmas. WOW. Had I known how enthralled she would be by them, I would have got her the set myself. We did get her a very small set as soon as she was old enough (2.5-3 years ago?) and all she did with it was use the many pieces to "cook" with in her kitchen. You know, sauteed Lego with a wine reduction? I was less than impressed, because I knew the pieces were all going to wind up missing. Anyhow, fast forward several years later and she hasn't stopped playing with it since Christmas. Plus, she had some leftover birthday money and we let her buy another set off of Amazon. Hours upon hours of entertainment, people!

And last but not least, I was getting all stressed about getting her Valentines done. I was thinking they had to be done this week, but I guess I could use a calendar, because I actually had about two weeks to get them done. Peanut filled out all the Valentines and I made the little pencil arrows to go with. Thank you, Pinterest. Once again. Because we all know a Valentine is just a Valentine....unless we Pinterest it, right? Yes, I realize I am part of the problem.

Our Mudroom that Isn't A Mudroom

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 09:00:00 +0000

When we moved back to Hometown nearly three (!!!) years ago, there were two projects I really wanted done. This of course, was in addition to the cleaning, painting, and new carpet that needed to be installed prior to us even moving back in. Ahem.

The first item I really wanted was a "built in" computer desk in our family room area. We have a three bedroom house and with the little brother on the way, we would no longer have a dedicated "office/computer room" and there was this perfect little alcove in our family room that would allow ample space for a nice big computer desk with plenty of room for the computer, printers, and all the computer/office related stuff. My awesome parents got most of the desk done a little over a year and a half ago and it's just as gorgeous as I pictured in my head. And rumor now has it they are starting on the top portion (shelving above the desk, complete with trim and cove molding) very soon. As I said, the desk portion turned out beautifully and it has been more than functional for our every day needs, so please know I am not complaining at all!

The second thing I wanted was a mudroom. Don't we all, right? Well, with our current house, the gorgeous mud "rooms" that you can find very easily on Google or Pinterest are pretty labor intensive if you plan to do it yourself. Which we did/do. (And we all know by now, that I use the term "we" very, very loosely, right?) Plus, there are several other things we want to do with this tiny little space (put in a pocket door for the laundry room, which will involve moving TWO light switches to the other side of the door, not to mention ripping out all the drywall to install/reframe for the pocket door) and those things just aren't in the cards right now, with being both short on time and money. So in the interest of making this space functional for our comings and goings, having it be somewhat temporary, and still aesthetically appealing and cost effective, the Hubs made this for me as my Christmas gift.

This is our main entry point through our home. We rarely, if ever, use our front door. We go in and out through our garage door that is located in our laundry room. The laundry room has space for a utility sink and in the sink alcove we have a clothes rack above the sink that we used at one point to hang clothes that needed to air dry, etc. It was a nice little space for that. Plus, the sink was there and we used it for stain treating clothes, cleaning muddy boots, and all those other things you use utility sinks for. But somehow over the last year and a half, that rack has become a coat rack for us all and with that, we didn't really have easy access to our sink anymore, because coats were always hanging in the way. Plus, when we were in a hurry (are you ever not as parents of littles?) taking all those coats down always knocked down the spray bottles on the sinks edge, so that was always fun. Or not.

So now I have a nice little coat rack thanks to my mom's design (she did the same thing a few months back in their laundry room at their house) and Hubs hard work. And as with the desk, rumor has it from Hubs that he would like to get the bench built in time for my birthday this spring!

That would be awfully nice, my dear. Awfully, awfully nice.

Many Blessings in 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 08:00:00 +0000

Wishing you a wonderful new year that will be even better than the last.

Christmas Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Sun, 28 Dec 2014 01:04:00 +0000

Can I just share that I've so been enjoying the Peanut's Christmas vacation? Not only has it been nice to have her home with us (on many, many levels--but the sibling bickering???? Make. It. Stop!!!!), but it means I don't have to be such a Nazi about bedtime--which I usually am. I usually, without fail, have the kiddos in the bath by 6:30 (6:40 if I am living fast and loose that evening) so as to have them in bed, stories read, and lights out by 7:30. Both of them require 11-12 hours of sleep and when they wake up around 7:00-7:30 each morning, they need a firm bedtime. And who am I kidding? I enjoy a little quiet time to myself each night too! Anyhow, all that said, because we can sleep in each morning with no firm obligations, it's been nice not having to be so rigid about bedtime. Not that we go crazy by any means, but 8:00 and in bed?

No biggie.

It's just been really, really nice.

We had a nice little quiet Christmas. We did the thing floating around Pinterest for gifts for the kids this year and it was SO nice. Four gifts for Christmas--something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read. We initially decided on that mainly because of budgetary constraints, but in the end, our kids are so very blessed and they really don't need anything. They have closets full of clothes and tons of toys to play with (thank you Grandma and Grandpa!). The Hubs and I don't really exchange gifts (although I did get him a Charger's sweatshirt that I totally forgot about this past September!) and he did built me a coat rack for our ~~mudroom~~ main entry/exit through our house. That will have a post of it's own later.

We entertained my mom's side of the family here on Christmas Eve and then went to my Aunt and Uncle's house for Christmas dinner. While Christmas time has always been my very favorite-ist time of year, with the kids and their emotional highs and lows of the last several days (lots of excitement, lots of family time, lack of strict schedules {see above}, etc.) EVERYTHING has the potential for a big ol' meltdown. So. That said, I am kinda enjoying the rest of this week just being able to lay low and watch movies, eat leftover cookies and soup from Christmas Eve and just relax.

I hope you are getting to do the same!!!

His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Thu, 25 Dec 2014 02:00:00 +0000

The Peanut Takes a Picture

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Sun, 21 Dec 2014 07:52:00 +0000

Since I am the official picture taker of our little family, there are very few pictures with me in our photos. While my kids will surely know someday that I was there at all the events, I would like for handful of them to actually have me in them as well.

However. I am really bad about remembering to ask the Hubs to take some pictures with me in them. See how this plays out?

Then the other day, Peanut begged to take a picture of me and the boy.

And I let her. I know, right?

She did pretty good, considering she is even more a novice than I am. We just might have a newly added photographer in the family!

How I Got Hired for This Job, I'll Never Know

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 08:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, we got a call from Peanut's school. That's never a good thing, is it? The only times I've received phone calls from the school was either a) The Peanut was sick and I needed to come pick her up immediately or b) She had been exposed to some infectious disease {whooping cough, chicken pox, etc} and they were giving us the legally required disclosure.

Well, they called on Peanut's scheduled day off from school, so this worrier automatically assumed she had been exposed to something once again. Nice, right? I have no idea why Hubs calls me a dooms-dayer. No clue at all.

Turns out, we were being invited to a special assembly last week. She had been chosen as Student of the Month for November. Now, because it's a Christian school they choose a student based on the monthly character trait. (I was Student of the Month many moons ago {in public school} and it wasn't based on anything like that. At least that I remember. But it could have been based on being a suck-up, because that is something I excelled in for sure.)

Anyhow, back to November's character trait. It was loving kindness. Loving kindness. Specifically referenced from Micah 6:8~

He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Let me tell you, that was humbling. Because folks, that fine quality so did not come from me. That is her daddy through and through. I am all about what is fair, what is right (in my mind!)--what is just. I guess I have the just part down, but the problem is, I don't follow that through with the love kindness part. Ouch. But our daughter? To her teacher, she stood out among her peers in her consistent, kind and loving manner.

Wow. This was a very much needed reminder, that that precious little Peanut of ours--she isn't ours at all. She was a gift. A gift entrusted to us from a very loving God.

Now I know in my heart that God is good and God is sovereign in all things. But for goodness sakes, in my head I can't help but wonder what He was thinking in trusting someone like me to be their mama? I am poor, poor example of Christ each and every day. #utterfailure

I am impatient and ~~probably~~ expect far too much from their little six and two year old selves. As I just said, I like doing the right thing and I want them to do the right thing. And let's face it, my little sinners don't always mind their mama. I feel like I am banging my head against the wall on most days. But that's probably how He feels with me, right? Because I am His little sinner.

In the end, I have to ~~remember~~ cling to that He will work everything for good according to His purpose. While the loving kindness trait didn't come from me, I have a sneaking suspicion that Peanut is the way she because He knew I could learn from that.

Christmas Performances

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 06:53:00 +0000

The Peanut had her school's Christmas program last week. It went well and she did great. Each of the classes does 1-2 songs, starting with the youngest (this being her class--the Kindergarteners) and ending with the 5th grade classes. Her class's song selections were Go Tell It On the Mountain and O Come All Ye Faithful. O Come All Ye Faithful was wonderful just as expected, but Go Tell It On the Mountain? Well, it was oh, SO sweet. It's not a Christmas song you hear a lot--at least not on the radio. I mean, I grew up knowing the Mahalia Jackson version of the song. Very few current artists do this song on their Christmas albums. But Let It Snow? Excuse my while I roll my eyes. Not only do I REALLY NOT care for this song, but it seems like EVERYONE has sang it. It's just so not my favorite, mmmkay?

ANYHOW, her class's little version of Go Tell It On the Mountain was complete with hand motions (most of which I believe were ASL, but I'm not entirely sure?). And it. was. precious. So precious that I've had her sing it for me since because it's just that sweet.

I love her little school programs. But it was kind of a bummer this year because her school program was the same exact night at nearly the same exact time as her voice {lessons} recital. So we had to choose one. We thought it was important that she be at her school program with her class, since that was a one time event. Plus, part of her music grade was based on her attendance at the Christmas program. Secondly, she still had a chance to preform with her voice lesson comrades this last weekend at a local retirement home. So we had her do just that. She sang in the school's program and then she also sang with the other "voice" students this past Saturday night. Plus, it was good that these last three months of practicing her Christmas solo were not in vain!!

Her solo was great too, despite her bundle of nerves an hour before her program. I think she's starting to get nervous for these things, which saddens me. It means that she's starting to feel self conscious, doesn't it? I mean, wow, the girl wouldn't even eat her dinner before the recital. That's just not like her! Anyhow, if you would like to view it, here it is:

In the end, she still got past it and she did a fabulous job once she got up there. The posing at the end? All her idea. The Merry Christmas at the end? All her idea.

My little precious Peanut, how did you grow up so fast?

Happenings Around Here

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 08:00:00 +0000

Thanksgiving has come and gone {explain to me exactly how that happened?} and we are already full swing into many Christmas festivities. But before I forget, I wanted to share these little tidbits.

♥

My dad's employer is one of the very few left that still gifts a turkey to their employees for Thanksgiving. My dad also likes to bless us, so he gave it to us. We all went to my aunt's home and had a lovely Thanksgiving Day at her house, but I am in the camp that Thanksgiving just isn't the same if you don't have leftovers. I cooked up the gifted turkey the Saturday after Thanksgiving (along with {from scratch} green bean casserole {FYI: once you go scratch, you never go back. For reals.}, horseradish carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy and of course, fresh cranberry sauce) so we too, could have a weeks worth of meals.

Once all the trimmings leftovers were gone, of course we had lots of turkey still to be eaten. So the family favorite White Enchiladas was on the menu. Can you say yum?

And then.

Ladies (and gentlemen as it may be), these are the new family fave for leftover turkey.

Turkey Taquitos with a Spicy Cranberry Dipping Sauce

I was reading my favorite Food Network Magazine and Guy said these were his favorite to make with leftover turkey. And funny enough, it isn't his recipe, but they are still oh so delicious! I'll be honest, they are a pain to make if you don't have a deep fryer (we don't) but well worth it!!! While casseroles that use up all the trimmings are great, they still taste like Thanksgiving dinner, and if you are like me, four or five days in you want. some. variety. of flavors!!! Any Mexican inspired dishes are always a hit at our house, and these are a great option.

I also made these pretzel rolls and these schnitzle sandwiches recently. Actually, it was about six weeks ago, but whatever. The rolls tasted great (which I thought turned out looking pretty good too!) and the schnitzel sandwiches were divine.

♥

We've all been passing around the sickies. So that's fun. But what's really the greatest is that I currently sound like (and have for about a week now) a fifty year old two-pack-a-day-smoker named Roxie. I'm telling you, it's every bit as charming as it sounds.

♥

About a month ago, our sweet boy was at the counter eating his lunch and he looked a little sad. He was propping up his head on the counter with his crooked arm {I hope that word picture makes sense}. I asked what was wrong and he said to me, "Me wish me had a truck like Daddy's" and sighed a sigh so big, you would have thought he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

♥

A few weeks ago, I overheard the Peanut telling her Daddy about her day at school. They have chapel on Fridays and she was telling him all about it:

"Sometimes when we are singing, people hold up their hands and close their eyes......I don't know why they close their eyes. But they hold up their hands 'cause it's like they are giving a high five to God."

Oh my gosh, I just about died laughing. This girl is something else. I feel like I fail her on so many different levels each and every day and she is just still as sweet and innocent as can be.

I can't believe God chose me (!!!) to be her and my son's mama.

To say I am humbled would be an understatement.

The Perfectly Imperfect Gingerbread House

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 06:12:00 +0000

I am learning and really, have been learning since the Peanut was about two, that these traditions I am trying to create with them don't have to be perfect.

Why yes, I am a very slow work-in-progress.

Anyhow, our little Christmas schedule is quickly filling and between all my DIY projects, Peanut being in school, and just living life {otherwise known as cleaning, laundry, ironing, bath time, the revolving door of sickness, etc}, there were very few days where Operation: Decorate Gingerbread House could commence. So this weekend it was.

And thank you, Grandma, for picking this up for the kids and thank you, Wilton, for placing such high expectations (for myself) of how these should turnout. (Really, their little kit is great and such a time saver, but holy smokes, do these people have children? I think not.)

By about the third candy placed on the house and in between the little brother placing the gumdrops IN his mouth before placing them ON the house {"Me didn't eat, me just tasted" was his explanation}, I realized the picture perfect gingerbread house would not happen. Why yes, I believe I've had the conversation in my head before. The same happened this year as well.

But once again, just like all the other times, in the end the kids had such fun, and could. not. wait. for Daddy to get home so they could show him their artistic prowess.

It was a great day.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 05:24:00 +0000

Today was Peanut's last day of school prior to her Thanksgiving break. She was so excited for "the feast," as it had been referred to all week prior. They didn't even have to bring lunches today, so it was quite the big deal. Just ask our 6 year old daughter.

Here she is with her besties. Ha, ha! Although, she has never referred to these girls as that, from the way I hear Peanut's tales from school and recess, these three are inseparable and I am so thankful she has made such good little friends just a few months into the year!

All the children made Pilgrim hats and they did a few recitations and songs for the mommies and daddies in attendance.

This is mommy's favorite {a new one for me}:

The turkey is a funny bird
Its head goes bobble-bobble;
And all he knows is just one word...
And that is
GOBBLE-GOBBLE-GOBBLE!

And an old favorite:

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. Psalm 118:1

Many blessings to each of your families this Thanksgiving.

The Theater

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 04:36:00 +0000

About a year and a half ago, we began a new tradition with our little Peanut--we have been taking her to plays.

One of my closest friends (her mom matched up the Hubs and I) has a daughter (our flower girl!) that is involved in a Christian theater arts group and I have taken the Peanut to several of their productions. Of course this is an "amateur" arts group, but I seriously think they put on some really great performances. Although I've only seen three of them, I have loved each and every one!

Last year we saw The Little Princess. Just an FYI, this was the first book that I never finished as a young, avid reader--I thought the story was so sad and depressing--I just hated it as a little girl. But their performance of it made me love the play, so I really think that says something.

Earlier this year we saw The Little Mermaid, Jr. Need I say more.....I mean really, what's not to love??!? Great characters, great music, great costumes......

And just this past weekend we were able to go see our former flower girl starring as Miss Hannigan in Annie, Jr. She did SO good! And this time we were finally able to work it out so the Hubs could come with us. There might have been some initial arm twisting. In the end though, I think he had a really good time.

This is actually how we were able to get the Peanut into her voice lessons. Her instructor advertises in the play's programs and since the Peanut has always been such a little singer around the house, I thought why not put her in voice lessons? I mean, I certainly can't instruct her in that area, so why not have a professional do it one day a week?

Anyhow, we had a great time and we can't wait for the next one!

And just like that, the season is over

noreply@blogger.com (Jackie) — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 07:34:00 +0000

The season was just eight short weeks and just like that, it's over. I think the Peanut enjoyed herself playing soccer, but she has some mixed emotions to be sure. She told me more than once today that she was sad that it was over. But then when I inferred that she would play again next year, she didn't seem too big on the idea.

She ended up playing goalie quite a bit throughout the season. I'd venture to guess probably 85% of the games? There wasn't hardly any bench time for her and when she was out on the field, she was goalie. But the thing is, while she did pretty well at it, she didn't like being goalie. She wanted to be in on the action--part of the fun. But then today, she got her chance (her first time in several games) to play both offense and defense and she didn't know quite what to do with that. And in her defense, she didn't have much practice doing playing either position, so what were we expecting really? I think if she had had more practice in playing those positions, she would definitely have more confidence out on the field.

It really is a bummer too that it was over so fast, because her team really seemed to be finding their groove. They were really learning to play as a team and passing the ball to teammates to accomplish the goal making efforts as a team--which I think is big for 6-7 year olds! I'm sure it always seems like that though, right? Just as the bigger picture is figured out, the season is over.

They had a pizza party after the game today and they got little certificates for team participation. Several of the teams from her school went to the same pizza place and one of those teams got trophies for their participation. I think that the certificates and/or trophies portion was coordinated by the parents of the team and I am glad our team didn't do trophies. That probably sounds really bad, but this was a soccer league that didn't keep score. So if they are not keeping score, then there isn't winning or loosing, right? And to me, trophies indicate that you've won something. Personally, I am so not in the camp of "not keeping score."

While I am probably the least competitive person on the planet (according to my husband), I don't think not keeping score is a good idea. Now, at this age level, it's probably not really that big of a deal. The purpose of this league is for the kids to learn to play the game and have fun. And that was definitely accomplished. But while "score" wasn't kept, most of the kids totally knew which teams won each week. So whatever "they" were trying to avoid, wasn't really avoided.

Anyhow, I think Kristen said it very well last spring in this post. I think in the long run, all these certificates (yes, those too!) and trophies can give today's kids an over inflated sense of self and I think that can be very dangerous, you know? In the end, loosing can build character and it makes you learn how to do better next time. Just like in real life, right? You learn from your mistakes and you move forward and do better next time. Funny how that works.....?

There is always room for improvement, am I right?

But for this time around, I'm glad she had fun (I think she probably enjoys the social interaction the most.....ah, yes, my little social butterfly!) and hopefully when my brother-in-law moves home, he can coach the Peanut and train her and she'll be more confident and want to give it another go next year.