Andrew ~ Kelly ~ Graham ~ Eden

while mom's away, the kids play!

2012-01-26T10:09:00.000-05:00

Eden & I had a great trip to see my family. E did awesome on the airplanes, praise God.

After one flight, someone in front of us stood up & said, I didn't even know there was a baby on this flight!

That is what I like to hear!

I have found with a small child that my favorite spot to sit is in the very last row, on the aisle. It's loudest back there, you bother the least amount of people, and you can easily stand in the galley & rock them if needed.

Thankfully, when people see a baby they avoid sitting by you at.all.costs. :)

So we had an empty middle seat for all 4 of our flights! I will say it's exhausting though! Keeping little one entertained when her attention span is appr. 30 seconds makes for a lot of juggling. And unfotunately, she was not interested in sleeping! My arms were so sore after holding her for about 4 hours straight!

But all in all, I couldn't be more thankful for smooth travel.

In the airport in Minne

It was fun to spend the weekend with just my girl!

I am so thankful to Andrew for allowing me to go!

It was his first weekend by himself with Graham, and he was a great superdad!

Also, very thankful that his job allows him to work from home when needed, so we only needed to impose on our neighbor for one morning of childcare.

We had a great snow, so they were thrilled to spend some sled time!

Andrew's makeshift firepit (also doubles as a grill). :)

Sledding with his friend Avalon!

haircut

Fun Fore All is a fun family center with tons to do.

This is a 4-story sets of tunnels & mazes with big guns that shoot nerf balls.

Basically a boy's dream. :)

Must be nap time. :)

Popcorn & movie night

"mall park" as we call them

hanging out at IKEA, what? you went there without me?!

And Andrew admitted....he snapped this picture because G DID wear this sweatshirt for 3 straight days. :)

So all in all, they had a FUN boys weekend!

Graham did have a couple of nights where he was having a hard time with missing me.

I talked to him on the phone one day and he asked me when I was going to come back to earth.

Apparently he had this vision that we were circling in an airplane all weekend.

He asked Andrew if they should bring rope to the airport to help us get down from the plane.

I can see how that would make sense in his little head. :)

And the moment of being reunited......................

oh my.

it was seriously a chariots of fire moment.

How we wished we had it on video.

He spotted me a ways down in the airport. He had a bouquet of flowers in one hand and was running as fast as he could, weaving in & out of people, shouting mom, mom, with the hugest smile on his face. He leaped into my arms & gave me the hugest bear hug ever.

That child knows how to be a welcome committee!

Probably will be one of my sweetest memories.

I've never had so many hugs & I love you's the rest of the night!

So it's very good to be home.

From Super Grover to the flu + more

2012-01-16T21:57:00.003-05:00

Through the Momtourage, we were able to see Sesame Street Live last week.

Let's just say there were a LOT of celebrity-crazed toddlers there. :)

Graham loved it.

Planning, planning............

Graham loves red.

His latest red craze is to color a picture solid red.

He thinks it's the greatest thing!

He was describing to me each part that he was coloring, then he said he was coloring the underwear red....I thought huh???? Well, yep, I guess that is like underwear. :)

I did not do a lot of holiday baking.

Kudos to those with 10 children that still manage to turn out 30 dozen cookies during the holidays.

Anyone??? ok, maybe not. :)

But I did find these 2 tasty and EASY treats that were big hits to several gatherings that we attended.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

A peanutbutter ball, sandwiched between 2 pretzels, dipped in chocolate.

Yes, I'll take 1.........or 5. =)

Holiday Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

These were also very popular, much more tasty that I was envisioning. If you like the mint/chocolate combo, these are the best. Marshmallows dipped in chocolate, sprinked with crushed candy cane. Loved them.

Where was I at 6am this morning?

That would be the grocery store picking up some items to help settle a very sick hubby's stomach. He (we) were up half the night. It was not good.

Praying he feels better soon.

Especially since Eden & I are leaving on a jet place on Wednesday, heading to see my family! Our flight leaves at 5:30 pm, we have a 4 hour plane ride, followed by a 4 hour car ride. You do the math...it will be one late night!! Appreciate much prayers, especially for a certain little girl on a loooooooong flight. Oh boy, I hope we have friendly fellow travelers!

Speaking of little girl, she is a climb-er. Let the fun begin!

11.

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Slightly belated as I've been trying to get this done all week...but...ya know that's how life is.

We do have an official walker on own hands!

She is still using crawling as her primary way of getting around. But she is getting braver and every day she's venturing a little more on her own!

When she goes from a sitting position to standing, she discovered how to do this little pose.

Downward-bending dog? =)

She loves to drink from big cups (that are conveniently empty).

Her brother is very sweet to her. He is SO excited that she is finally getting big enough to play with him. Of course, she's more interested in playing on her own and isn't always a willing a participant. :)

She loves to walk holding things.

Which usually puts her off balance, especially when she insists on carrying items that are almost as big as her!

Her new favorite thing is handing us items. Sometimes she will pick up my hand and put something in it. She loves to wave bye-bye.

She babbles mama & dada, but I don't know if I can be sure that she knows what she's saying.

I can still pretend, can't I?

And oh yes, she does not like it when mommy walks away (i.e. church nursery or friend's house!)

She's giving us lots of cuddles and gives squeezes around the neck.

Doesn't get much sweeter than that.

Steeler girl!

Graham likes to hold her by the hand and ~~drag~~ help her along.

She's not quite up to his speed yet. :)

And yes, we are mourning a tough Steeler loss and the end of a season!

A cozy new blanket for Christmas!

Everywhere we go people comment on

what a happy, smiley baby she is.

Thankful for this sweet girl!

Less than a month until the double birthday bash!

Because I conveniently birthed my children 7 days apart. =)

But don't let me forget that a certain *someone* is turning thir-tay only 5 days before that.

Yep, there's going to be a lot of partying around here over the next few weeks.

As Graham says, Let's have cake!

fun in the snow (for some of us).

2012-01-05T19:00:00.000-05:00

I'll admit.....I hate the cold. And carting around kiddos and all the layers is not my idea of fun.

However, I do love snow. It's probably my Minnesota upbringing, but when there's a good snowfall I can't wait to bundle up and head out!

My daughter does not yet share my joy.

Literally she cried for about 20 straight minutes over just being put in her snowpants while I was getting us all ready. Oh.the.drama. :)

Graham, on the other hand, loves.loves.loves.

Here he is happy just to make footprints in the snow. :)

I knew once she got outside she would be fine. :)

We are so thankful that we have a small hill right in our backyard.

It's perfect for a little fun sledding!

I don't know if you can see....but there's a big snow angel & a baby one. :)

We've pretty much worn through all the snow in our entire yard, so we now need some more!

If it's going to be cold, I say we might as well have snow. :)

a few snapshots

2012-01-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

love this pic!

and this one.

Everything was way too quiet as I came to peak on the munchkins.

But whadd'ya know, they were reading together.

I must capture this!

A favorite Christmas gift from Mama & Papa.

I know you gals are so jealous of having a basketball hoop in your living room.

It's moving. :)

Less than a month from turning 3!

Graham also received 2 remote-controlled cars.

Let's just say daddy is having just as much fun with them. =)

walkin' in a winter wonderland {finally}

2012-01-02T17:13:00.000-05:00

We had a great New Year's weekend across the state with Andrew's family.

As we drove home we started seeing some of the white stuff and drove in & out of snow. We were happy to see that some of it had stuck when we arrived home. Though it IS pretty freezing in the 20's!! Graham has been dying to have some snow, so even though Andrew was not feeling well, he was such a good daddy to take him to play in it!

And what a sweet message they made. =)

catching a Christmas pic (good luck with that.)

2011-12-27T10:26:00.000-05:00

Getting a cute Christmas pic of Graham at this age.........................

Getting the same pic of Eden................

{this girl's got a mind of her own and is not afraid to use it.}

She did have a cute Santa diaper on!

These willies also apply to diaper changes, outfit changes, & getting buckled in car seats among other things. Good luck catching her!

Graham has now joined the crusade......................

Apparently if all else fails, put her in a headlock. =)

Graham waits for us to snap a picture and then says Got it?

Thank you, sweet buddy!

We love you baby girl, squirms & all! =)

let it be merry & bright.

2011-12-23T09:31:00.001-05:00

Many people have touched our lives this year.

We are thankful for each one and for the many new friends God has brought into our lives.

And thankful for the "old friends" with whom we have shared many goods, a few bads, and always, a hopeful future.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

All the world rejoice
For the baby comes
As a humble prince in the night
The Word made flesh, Emmanuel
The Everlasting Light
Let the warmth of heaven reach the coldest heart
With the gospel of His grace
For His heel will bruise the serpent’s head
Rejoice, all the world, rejoice!

{Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God }

when mama bear is not well

2011-12-21T16:58:00.000-05:00

life slows dramatically. ok, maybe comes to a standstill!

I would not have chosen this particular set of days to have to cancel all plans (we were supposed to host a Momtourage playdate on Wednesday as well as have another playdate with some new friends on Thursday). But is there really ever a good time to be sick? Pretty sure it can be considered inconvenient at any time.
Tuesday morning I woke up feeling like I had been kicked in the stomach. I really don't ever remember having a sickness quite like this one. I kind think it must have been something I ate, though I can't really think of anything to pinpoint.........and we hadn't eaten out in the last few days. By the middle of the day I was feeling much better. And then a miracle happened - both my kids napped for 2 solid hours without a peep. Let me tell you that almost never happens! So I was able to nap for about 1.5 uninterrupted hours - I think it was my best nap since Eden's been born. It was divine. However about 4:00, the stomach thing came back in full-force and I was holed up on the couch with the kids crawling all over me wishing away the hour until Andrew came home. Which he did and played supermom for the rest of the evening - for which I am very grateful! Dinner for the kids, cooking his own dinner, a bath for Eden, bedtime for Graham, run to the store to get me some "sick food" - thanks babe, I know it wasn't what you were expecting after a long day of work!
Wednesday morning Andrew was able to stay home from work until about noon which got me to the point where I felt most of the worst was behind me. So it was a day of pj's, NO housework, toys everywhere.............it was kind of relaxing. :)
The worst part was telling Graham that we had to cancel our playdates. :( He LIVES for social interactions and just loves playing with his friends. He was so excited about our popcorn, hot chocolate, and Christmas movie with friends.
But I am thankful that most of my Christmas to-do's were done and that our company and travel plans are not until next week. Now I am praying that no one else picks up the bug.
For now I am thankful to be feeling much better! I believe God knew I needed a day to rest (without feeling guilty!) and that it would be better for our family to clear the calendar for a couple of days. Sometimes sickness can be a blessing in disguise, so thank you, God.

it's funny what your kids pick up on

2011-12-16T08:37:00.000-05:00

Andrew wanted to play some Christmas songs together and as soon as we started, Graham went & picked up the camera and said, "I need to take a picture!"

Apparently he knows when something happens that's not the norm, we usually grab the camera to capture the moment. :)

oh tannebaum, oh tannebaum.............................

meet my hubby's newest addiction (and if you're considering moving, it might be yours too)

2011-12-15T14:14:00.000-05:00

zillow.com

Not that we're moving.............I don't think......................but when there are houses in our neighborhood priced at $50k or less, it is mighty tempting. =)

Anyways, if you're thinking about buying, selling, or renting,

anytime in your life,

you must check out zillow.com.

Simply type in the zip code of the location you're considering and it will bring up a map of every home in the area. It will then tell you which ones are for sale, for rent, or what the owners would sell for under "make me move". It tells you exactly what each house is priced at, what your mortgage would be, all the details of the house, and most include pics as well.

It's a pretty amazing tool to see all the houses in one zip code with the click of a mouse.

If you were moving across the country, it would be incredible to do most of your house shopping from your computer all on one site!

It also helps to know you're not overpaying for a home or what to price your house at if you were selling.

So hey, if you're moving to Pittsburgh, grab this (foreclosed) gem for only $23,000. :)

Christmas tidbits

2011-12-12T20:42:00.003-05:00

Our 3rd Christmas in Pittsburgh........it's hard to believe!

We love some of the traditions that we've begun to establish here and one of our favorites is taking a horse-drawn carriage ride.

It's right next to the big Christmas tree, skating rink, and gingerbread house display right downtown, so the air is very festive and very Christmas-y!

The previous 2 weekends, the temps had hit 60 degrees..........but of course this day dipped into the 20's! Brrrrrrrrrrr. The kids were great troopers as we had to wait in line almost an hour. Thankfully it is next to a building that holds a Santa display and live Christmas music, so Andrew & I took turns taking a child into the warm building and waiting. So it really wasn't too bad. It certainly helped that Graham was SO excited to go on the ride and was willing to endure about anything. Eden was starting to get to her limit just when our turn came around, thankfully!

And if you happen to stop by our house this Christmas season,

there is no telling how you will find our nativity scene arranged.

It's seems to be changed daily by a certain little boy. :)

ten months.

2011-12-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

My biggest news is that I am happy. oh so happy. to report that baby girl is back to sleeping through the night! We had a 3 week stretch where we had various guests staying in our guest room. So as soon as that ended, I said this is it girlie! 2 nights of crying it out and she has slept 12-13 hours since. Thank you, Jesus!

Everything, and I do mean everything, gets popped into her mouth.

Yes, including that nasty stink bug. UGH.

Cannot wait to be past this phase!

I can't complain because she is such a great eater! She actually uses both hands to shovel in food sometimes. She pretty much just eats whatever we're eating, which is oh so convenient.

She whines when she's ready to get down from her chair, but then she immediately pops back up to look for scraps. Crazy girl. :)

She loves to play the piano. :)

This pretty much sums it up..........she's in to everything.

who me?

She loves her daddy!

When she started cruising, I predicted that she was going to walk by 11 months.....so we'll see what the next month brings! She loves to stand by herself, but immediately drops when she wants to get somewhere. She took a tiny 1/2 step by herself.....so one of these days it will be!

Happy 10 months, Eden Hope.

You bring a sweetness to our lives that only a little girl could!

Hope you have a wonderful & beautiful 1st Christmas as we celebrate the Savior who loves you even more than we do.

birthday fun

2011-12-07T14:04:00.001-05:00

I had a very nice birthday - thanks to everyone for the comments, calls, cards, gifts............it was all very sweet!

Graham gets almost as excited for birthdays as he does for Christmas.
Ok, I guess he just gets very excited about anything!
He & Andrew went out on a "secret mission" and he loved it! Of course he was mostly excited that he got popcorn from Target because he thinks that the only reason for going to Target. It was definitely in question on whether he'd be able to keep their activities a secret all day with me. :)

When they got home he said,

Mom, guess what we got you?
hmmm...........................

Popcorn!

Awesome. How did you know that was tops on my birthday wishes??

All day long Graham was asking when we were going to have birthday cake. (the highlight of birthdays, of course.) But I was pretty sure there wasn't going to be a birthday cake...........surprise when Andrew pulled this little guy out. (and thankful that now Graham would sleep that night.)

I'm not usually a fan of store-bought cakes, but I have to say this carrot cake from Giant Eagle was right tasty!

My parents got me several cozy things when they were here on their visit and later, Muk Luks - sweater boots for your feet!

Can you say comfort + warmth + I love them. =)

my boys picked out this cutie. :)

Several other great gifts from friends & family as well!

The Gettys were actually here in concert on my birthday night and we had hoped to go to their concert, but alas..........the babysitter thing just didn't work out. :-/

However, we were able to get a babysitter for the next night and Andrew & I hit up 2 great downtown restaurants! They had both emailed me a $25 gift card for my birthday, so we got by for basically just the cost of the tip + a little more. I'm not about being cheap for special occasions....but if you can get $50 in free food, I say take it. =)

We first went to Seviche.

Seviche cuisine is an eclectic
blend of traditional Latin
American recipes and modern
ingredients infused with
international influences.

This was a happening place at 8pm on Friday night! The food here was a.m.a.z.i.n.g! One of those rare places where you will go back for the taste!
We started with this salad......
ENSALADA DE LA CASA
Field greens and Romaine with calabaza,
roasted corn, tomato, Queso Blanco and pickled
ginger tossed with chipotle lime vinaigrette

and then tried these......

PULLED PORK CUBAN (on a cuban roll)

Pickled red cabbage, sliced Chorizo salami,
Jarlsberg Swiss, local wildflower honey mustard
BISTEC Quesadillas

Your choice of seared filet mignon or grilled
prawns with caramelized onions and Jarlsberg
cheese on Lavosh crisps

both served with amazingly seasoned frys!

All of it was muy delicioso!! :)

The we popped over to The Sonoma Grille (conveniently right across the street!). We had been there last year when they invited me to do a taste-testing for Momtourage. We were thinking we might get an appetizer here as well, but we were so full from Seviche, that we pretty much just went with dessert. We got the sampler dessert which included Caramel Apple Cheesecake , Pumpkin Pecan Tart, Plum Deep Dish Pie, & Housemade Sorbet.

All Yum!

A great ending to my birthday celebration!

and the winner is................

2011-12-06T14:22:00.001-05:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my Lot26Studio giveaway!

Congrats Kathryn, I am excited for you to get this special Christmas gift. =)

Lot26 just added some really cute holiday wall art!

what December looks like around here...........

2011-12-02T13:46:00.001-05:00

(to steal the title from my friend, Sarah) :)

He calls stockings - boots.

Last year Graham loved Christmas.
This year it's like on steroids.
He loves, loves, loves everything about the season.
He's also old enough to understand more of the Christmas story and celebrating the birth of baby Jesus which is fun to see as well.
And yes, he is vertical here out of excitement. :)

This is kind of a sad picture.................because we're putting together the tree instead of carrying it in. We had several discussions about it and ultimately, for at least this one year, we're going back to the artificial. (dad, you can see who won.) :)

I do believe there may have been something muttered about how difficult it was to get things done.

I don't know why with so many helpers. *wink, wink. :)

I'm up to 6 on my Starbucks ornament collection!

They put out a new one every year and usually Andrew or a friend has gotten it for me.

And no, we are not announcing a 3rd child. :)

Part of the reason for having the little tree was so we could put it out of the reach of Eden.

And of course, she hasn't even gone near it.

Not that I'm complaining.

The candles in the fireplace................that's another story. :)

Graham got his own little tree to decorate and put in his room.

Birthday Giveaway!

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey, hey, it's my birthday and that means it's time for a giveaway!

This year I am excited to have a company that was willing to sponsor my birthday giveaway - Lot26 Studio.

A couple of months ago, they sent me a couple of their chalkboard decals to try. I am loving them. When you rent and don't want to put too many holes in the wall, decals are the perfect option! Or if you like the idea of having transient art that's easy to change up or just like the idea of people saying, wow, I can't believe that's a decal. =)

Lot26 Studio has lots of great options for wall art, nursery decor, or my current fave - the chalkboard decals!

I am using this scroll decal to write out my menu for the week!

This guy is cute, isn't he?
We wrote things we're thankful for on the leaves.

This "chandelier" is only $8, marked down from $28!

To enter:

Head over to Lot26 and then leave me a comment saying what decal you would most like to see in your home!

Open for entries until Tuesday, Dec. 6th at 8pm.

Good luck!

Thanksgiving fun

2011-11-27T22:18:00.001-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving................full of fun, food, & family!

(It took a long time for all these pics to load, so they aren't really in order of events.)

There are few women in their 80's that would do a 14 hour car ride overnight and then be up for anything the next day. Besides walking extra miles during the kids nap times *just for fun*.

We were thrilled that my grandma was able to come visit!

One of the cutest Gingerbread houses we saw, "UP".

We were so thankful for such great weather! It was upper 50's and sunshine most of the time. We even ate dinner outside at a restaurant that was super crowded.....and didn't even freeze!

{Many of these picture credits go to my sister, Katie!}

riding the incline, which is like a little boxcar, up the side of the mountain.

This wasn't what Katie was going for, but I like the effect. =)

Trader Joe's sparkling juices were so yummy!

and everything turned out for dinner!

under the computer, with mommy's phone......

who me?

we ran into Santa at the ATM!

Graham wouldn't go near Santa, instead he wanted a picture with this guy.

I think it's a cigar store. :)

baseball time.

Our Macy's Christmas parade

local favorite coffee shop. choose your poison....they have it all.

My parents decided they no longer needed to keep the piano that only got played twice a year. :)

I was super happy to bring it home!

And even more happy when I found out my friend Keara was in need of a piano.

So very thankful that our old piano went to a great home where it will be well-used and cared-for.

boys day out.

the text I received was "does Graham really need a nap and is it a problem to load him with soda & french fries"

GRANDPA.

uh-huh.

many thanks to my sister for many great pics!

Lots of fun memories!

gift shopping with FREE shipping for you.

2011-11-27T15:21:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that only a couple of days left in November to take advantage of the free shipping!!

Check out this fun site - The Land of Nod
(parent company: Crate & Barrel).
They are offering FREE shipping on TONS of items, with prices starting at only 95 cents!

Head to their site and click on All Free Shipping to see everything they're shipping for free!

Graham would love one of these zippy cars with the

ingenius handle design. :)

the perfect gift for grandma & grandpa

this should keep a toddler occupied for a bit!

Little Miss Sunshine or Chatterbox or Giggles or Trouble.......

take your pick, only $3.99 each!

perfect for little hands

and what? no piles of peeled paper left behind? :)

Soft, crumble-free clay is all natural and washable. Colored with turmeric, carmine and spinach, and scented with strawberry, lemon and lime.

Contains soy and wheat

Made of flour, water, salt, soybean oil, cream of tartar, natural glycerin, natural scent extracts, natural colors (turmeric, carmine and spinach) and calcium propionate

No chemical dyes or additives

teaching time

only $3.95!

also only $3.95 for this shapes & shadows flashlight fun!

it's just too cute.

I do have a softness in my heart for textiles.....these next ones take the cake!

Nod chairs, perfect reading nooks.

mister 'stache could not be more handsome.

awesome neutral baby bedding.

lovin' the rosettes.

they call these "judy garlands". nice. :)

So there you have some of my faves.

Go take advantage of that free shipping, only through the month of November!

And thanks in advance if you find something to purchase. =)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T11:17:00.001-05:00

Today is Andrew's last work day for this week and then he is off for the next 5 days - yippee!

My parents, sister, and grandma arrive tomorrow for 4+ days - SO excited!

We have lots of fun plans including carriage rides downtown, Christmas parade on Saturday, hittin' the Strip District, dinner at a local favorite, I'm sure a rousing game of loaded questions, and who knows what else?! Sure to be fun!

And I'll be in the kitchen a lot over the next few days! I surely don't mind especially when I have someone to entertain the kiddos for me and volunteers to help with the dishes. :)

Here's some of what I'll be whipping up:

Chicken-Lentil Soup with homemade biscuits

Salad with bacon & feta

Spinach/bacon/egg quiche

Apple-pumpkin muffins

THE dinner - turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potato souffle (something I picked up from the southern family I joined!), sauteed green beans w/ onion, sourdough stuffing with sausage/apples/cranberries, & fruit

Cinnamon scones & homemade yogurt

Monte Cristos (I have a super yummy Rachael Ray recipe but can't find it online) with pineapple slaw

granola bars

Thankful that they are bringing some of the desserts with them which will be very helpful.

So I guess I better get crackin' on what can be made ahead!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving, we surely are.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17

the sibs: all dolled up

2011-11-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

Free coupon for Sears pics............so why not!

But how do you choose just one?!

might be my fave............... =)

(of course we had to have a lip bash days before!)

4pm has always been the best picture-taking time for us.

Post-naps, post snacks.....they're ready to go. :)

Graham has always done pretty well when taking pics......but this time he was purposefully hammin' it up!

princess-doll

anything possible turns into a drum!

and how about a little shout-out to Snuggleluv where I found the snazzy headband, tie, & fedora. =)

power soup

2011-11-13T16:37:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite soups! I admit, I'm a Betty Crocker gal.....I use my BC cookbook all.the.time!
I have often made this for a new mom as well since I think it's a great comfort soup.
I made some last week and then Eden ate leftover soup most of the week. This made me very happy because it has so many great nutrients in it!

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken-Lentil Soup

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (I usually use chx breast)

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 medium zucchini, chopped (2 cups)

4 medium carrots, sliced (2 cups)

1 cup dried lentils (8 oz), sorted, rinsed

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (opt.)

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

Shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired

In 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix onion, zucchini, carrots, lentils, broth, salt and pepper. Add chicken.
Cover; cook on Low heat setting 5 to 6 hours.
Remove chicken from slow cooker. Use 2 forks to pull chicken into shreds. Return chicken to slow cooker. Stir in mushrooms and tomatoes. Cover; cook on Low heat setting about 15 minutes longer or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with basil. Serve with cheese.

Whip up some Baking Powder Biscuits and you have an easy, super yummy dinner!

nine

2011-11-10T15:45:00.001-05:00

3 months away from turning 1!

{Though it's actually harder for me to believe that means Graham will be turning 3!)

Cheesy smile as always. :)

Here's what baby girl has been up to:

"helping"

loves to chew on this foam 3, I guess it feels good on her teeth.

And why not while she pages through the latest Anthropolgie catalog?

Children's Hospital 3 am. Croup.
Graham didn't get his first cold until he was 11 months old. Eden has been to Children's twice in her young life. Ah the joys of being socialized much more. :-/
Thankfully after treatment, she improved quickly.

Standing! When Graham started cruising around at 8-9 months, we thought he'd be walking soon. Didn't take his first steps until his first birthday. So when Eden started cruising, we thought, no big deal, we've got a while. And then she decided she was ready to stand on her own! So who knows with this determined girl!

She loves all things shiny & my jewelry! She can barely focus enough to eat if I'm wearing a necklace!

blowing

Her new favorite tricks are blowing, clapping, and waving. She is very excited about them.

clapping

Not much new news to report for the night sagas. Last week she had begun sleeping until 4am, I would feed her and then she'd sleep until 7 or 8. Honestly, I would take that any day! The croup hit and topsy-turvy we go again. She's wanted to eat at 11:30pm & then 2am before she settles in for the night. Last night it was 2am & 5:30am. The unpredictability is what kills me! My dr. said I could start giving her cow's milk if she would take it (nope!) and just feed her a regular diet. She is eating tons of great foods from chicken to cheese to produce to meatballs to yogurt......she is a champion eater and for that I am very grateful! For now, I am just trying to go with it and hope that the day is coming when she's settles back in to her nights.
Her top 2 teeth are coming in any second!
Her favorite place in the world to be is under the computer. So many fun cords! :-/
For all the night struggles we've had, she is really a sweet girl and a good napper by day. I am so thankful that our days are very predictable & fairly smooth. (you know, as much as can be with a baby & a toddler!)
Graham is loving it as she gets more interactive with him! He still rolls on top of her, I've come to see that's probably a boy thing that is not going to change. She has started to get vocal about it when he's doing something she doesn't like. Let the tattling begin. Oh dear....................

our Halloween monkeys

getting pumpkins!

We love this girl to pieces, crazy nights & all! Love the family God has given us to steward.

Happy 9 months, our Eden-girl!

What tricks do you have up your sleeve for us this month?

We can't wait to see! :)

2011-11-07T13:59:00.000-05:00

Was not happy to find a pile of shoes thrown down the stairs by a certain little mister. After stern instructions to put them back, I went back to the dishes. I was a little surprised that it was quiet for so long and I was actually starting to think he might be doing as he was told.

nope.

At least he's organized. =)

NoseFrida giveaway

2011-11-07T08:48:00.001-05:00

I have heard several of my friends rave about the Snotsucker gadget! The concept is that you are able to clear out your little one's nose by your own sucking power. :)

{And there is a filter, so there is no chance of you actually inhaling the snot.}

NoseFrida was kind enough to send me one to review for the Momtourage & then have one to giveaway!

So if you have little ones (or know someone who does!), pop on over here to enter to win a snotsucker!

circus fun!

2011-11-04T14:51:00.000-04:00

A company had contacted me about doing promos (through the Pgh Momtourage) about the circus for them, so we were fortunate enough to be given tickets in exchange!

We were all very excited take in the Ringling Bros./Barnum & Bailey show!

Held at the arena where the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL hockey) play.

Little Miss wasn't sure about it. Of course it was starting right at her bedtime. :-/ She did pretty well and eventually fell asleep which was good for all of us. :)

The pre-show where you can go on the floor and see some of the performers.

yep, Dumbo is painting. :)

Graham's favorite was definitely the elephants, but he said the stiltwalkers were his 2nd favorite.

G wasn't sure about all the crowd, so he decided to take in the pre-show safely in his seat. :)

I swear though, he sat in this seat without moving for about 2.5 hours. He was totally enthralled.

Star-spangled banner in the beginning which seemed kind of funny!

So many acts.........from acrobats to clowns to tigers to motorcyles to trapeeze to dancers and other crazy things. A really fun show!

The elephants definitely steal the show though.

They are amazing and they seriously look like they are enjoying themselves.

I had no idea an animal weighing that much could have some sweet dance moves. :)

We were also given this commemorative book which was perfect.

Filled with pictures from the show which is so great to help Graham remember all of it!

This is pretty much what he has been doing the last few days!

If you have a chance to go, definitely take it!

Next promo: we get to check out the Harlem Globetrotters in December!

I like my job. A lot.

{Andrew does too.} =)

2011-11-01T14:16:00.000-04:00

I have to say a quick thank you to all of you who left comments here or on facebook or sent me messages and took the time to leave an encouraging note, share some tips, or let me know you were praying. One thing I learned for sure: I am not alone in this! Many of you have had good sleepers and then child #2 or #3 suddenly left you scratching your head! I am already putting to use some of your suggestions and I hope that maybe in the coming weeks I will have some better news to share. But if not, it's awesome to know I have a great community of friends & family to at least send virtual hugs. =)
Thank you, friends.

desperate.

2011-10-31T11:40:00.000-04:00

I think I had said that Eden had gone back to sleeping through the night. False Alarm. I am at a loss what to do. She continues to wake throughout the night. Sometimes one time, sometimes two times. Could teething really be causing this for the last 2 months? She doesn't seem really in pain and she also seems fine during the day. Another thing that is frustrating is that when she's eating at night, she doesn't seem that hungry and so it makes me think it's not necessarily because she needs food. She also will not take a pacifier, is this girl particular or what? =) At almost 9 months I am boggled at why she cannot sleep through the night and why we have gone back & forth with this for 9 months. Another crazy thing is that she's completely inconsistent at when she's waking up. Sometimes it's as early as 9 or 10 pm, sometimes it's 1 or 2am, occasionally we make it to 4 or 5am.

So in the last 2 weeks I decided it was time to let her cry it out and see what happened. That's when we found out how determined she really was. :-/ One night she woke up at 9pm, and knowing she couldn't need to eat so soon, we let her go. For 2 hours she would cry and fall asleep, cry & fall asleep. I finally went to feed her, she literally ate for 2 minutes and fell asleep till morning. AGH. That was actually our best night of late. A couple of nights ago, she woke around 2:30 and cried solid for an hour & a half. I finally gave in. 2 nights ago she cried for 2 and a half hours (do you know how long that is?). Last night: major problem. This time when she woke up I knew I was too worn down to listen to her cry so felt like I don't care how many times she wakes up, I am just going to feed her so we don't have to listen to her cry. But whether it was because I am too stressed or tired or worn down, my body could not feed her. We are trying to get her to take a bottle and she just absolutely won't. This might have been the most discouraging time yet because I just wanted to get food into her so she would go back to sleep, and I literally couldn't. She eventually fell asleep until 6:30 and I was able to feed her then. For those who don't believe in the crying method, don't judge, I really truly love her. :) But I feel utter desperation right now. I have never felt this close to post-partum blues, but it is really a struggle right now. I consistently get only 2-3 hours of sleep at a time and after almost 9 months, I feel at a breaking point. We go to her pediatrition next week and maybe he will have some insight. Is there a problem? I don't know. She seems fine during the day, she eats great, she eats until she's full.....I just don't know it could be.

I share for 2 reasons................not to be a cryfest, I am sorry if it seems that way, that's not my intention.

*I would like to know if anyone else has experienced something like this or if anyone has any ideas!

*And also, if you think of it, please uphold this in prayer. That I would trust God in His sovereignty during this difficult season, that I would experience His grace, and that I would have the strength to serve my family & those around me as I need to each day with the right spirit.

It has helped for me to begin to begin to view this as something that God has ordained for me. I used to think, well, you just do

X + Y = Z and then your kids sleep through the night and bingo, you're an awesome parent. :) But sometimes God ordains something differently and I am learning to trust in His plan.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalm 28:7

You might also pray that maybe, just maybe, that we could get some sleep around here. =0

hello first snow.

2011-10-29T08:35:00.000-04:00

tidbits

2011-10-24T22:39:00.001-04:00

I was just looking through pics from our camera and found some nuggets to share............

football man.

Seriously, you don't even know how much time I spend running "completions".

Yesterday I had a baby on my hip dribbling a soccer ball around the house as G chased me, laughing hysterically.

Yep, who would have thought all the years I spent playing sports was actually training to keep up with my little boy. :)

We were eating dinner and noticed this cutie chilling in our backyard!

Also greatly enjoying our backyard view as the leaves begin to change!

all in a day.

Super excited that we got free tickets to go to the Ringling Bros. circus next week!

He loves all sports, but baseball seems to be his most beloved of the moment. It's the only equipment that he carefully puts on the table where "Eden can't reach them". :)

I also call him the red man because if he has his choice on what to wear, he will choose as many red items as he can find!

We got hit with some heavy colds this weekend which meant some extra snuggles!

It also meant the dreaded NOSESUCKING!!!

It's hard having 2 new teeth because sometimes you forget and chomp your own finger. :-/

2 bottom cuties.

Convo with G today:

Mom, I have a question.

What?

I'm having a hard time.

Hard time with what?

Eating my lunch.

Why?

Because the silly monster is laughing at me.

{And then he cracked up laughing.}

a few favorites

2011-10-20T14:23:00.000-04:00

We are in some serious need of some new throw pillows around here.

I've been perusing Etsy and am loving this shop. Throw pillows can be crazy prices. But I think hers are very affordable.

A few of these might just be on my wish list. Just say'n. :)

And hey, if you're in the pillow market, these are all on sale thru Halloween!

homemade granola bars

2011-10-17T10:31:00.000-04:00

I didn't attempt to make granola bars for a long time because they always seemed complicated and involving many ingredients that I didn't keep on hand. Sunflower kernels....toasted wheat germ....flaxseed......I just don't. :)
But then I came across this recipe and knew it was one I could attempt! I've made a few tweaks for what works for us.
I now usually make them at least once a week (because they disappear!) and they literally take me about 10 minutes. You can adapt them all different ways.........my current batch has peanut butter chips and Trader Joe's orange flavored cranberries!

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

* 1 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal

*1 cup other cereal (grape nut flakes or kashi go lean are good ones)

* 2 cups quick oats

* 2/3 cup packed brown sugar

* 2/3 cup honey (note: this gives them a very strong honey flavor. I usuallyuse 1/3 c. honey and 1/3 c. maple syrup or another liquid sweetener instead.)

* 1/2 cup peanut butter

* 1 tsp vanilla extract

* 1/4 tsp cinnamon

* 1/2 tsp salt

Optional add-ins:

* 1/4 c. chocolate chips (put these in freezer before adding or the chocolate will smear)

*1/4 c. raisins or dried cranberries

*1/4 c. slivered almonds

*1/4 c. coconut

Directions: Grease or line a 9×13 inch pan.

Mix brown sugar, honey and peanut butter in a small sauce pan. Stir overmedium heat until just boiling. Add in the vanilla right at the end.

In a large bowl combine the cereal and oatmeal, cinnamon, salt, and anyother add-ins (minus the chocolate chips).

Add the hot mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Lastly, stirin the frozen chocolate chips.

Pour into the prepared pan. Press flat using a spatula or aluminum foil(which doesn’t stick at all!). Stick them in the freezer for 30-60 minutes. Setaside to thaw, then cut into bars. Makes 15 bars.

TIPS:

* Bars taste great if frozen…. Once thawed they retain the chewy texturehowever I would avoid refrigerating the bars as this seems to dry them out.

* To keep fresh store at room temperature in a sealed container.

Other “Add-Ins” to experiment with:

M&M’s, peanut butter chips,butterscotch chips, dates, dried apricots, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, flax seed,sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, toffee pieces…

oh these kiddos...........

2011-10-14T14:03:00.000-04:00

I have a heard quite a few parents say that their kids get used to sleeping through sibling noises.

But apparently my kids missed that memo.

I am so thankful they don't share a room cuz' we would have some serious troubles!

As it is, they often wake each other up in the morning or after naptime.

If one is up, I guess they think they should both me up.

Trying to teach Graham that it is not okay to climb into her crib.

You can see how effective that's been so far. =)

But you can tell by her big smile that Eden is pretty happy about her little guest. :)

hello 8.

2011-10-12T13:49:00.000-04:00

We have cruised into 8 months. And cruising she is! Slowly....she creeps around a little bit. She is terribly entertained right now by pulling herself up to something, sitting down, and doing it again. Ah, the simple things. :)

She is loving feeding herself! Her first official self-fed meal was pumpkin pancakes. I managed to capture meal #2 which was bread, cheese, tomatoes, and pears. All of which she fed herself.

Oh that is nice. :)

Bottom tooth #1 has finally poked through. Tooth #2 is not far behind and I think her top 2 teeth are making their way down as well. Ugh. After a 5-6 week hiatus, she finally went back to her 11-12 hour nights. T.h.a.n.k.f.u.l.

She is a mover & a shaker. One determined little girl who gets around everywhere!

She army crawls on her belly, but not much slows her down. :)

Graham likes to "help".

A sweet & unexpected box of Missoni items showed up on our door!

She has a matching cardigan to this skirt and a super cute blanket. Thank you, aunt Phuong!

Might be my favorite $6.50 find ever. :)

I am so thankful I am still able to exclusively nurse her. I never really thought I would be the person who nurses exclusively for a full year, but it's just kind of turned into that. It works out differently for everyone and sometimes you can, sometimes you can't. She just went down to 4 feedings a day, so I am hoping that doesn't cause any problems. It's been so much easier & better the 2nd time around. There are occasionally times where it would have been handy if she would take a bottle, but overall, it hasn't been a problem at all.

Our happy girl!

Balloons are a favorite toy. Don't worry, she is not left unattended with them. :)

She also loves balls!

Hmmmm....seems someone else in our house is into them as well.

Only 4 months till she turns one! Times flies so quickly.

Thankful for our sweet, easy-going baby girl.

the whirlwind week

2011-10-10T11:36:00.003-04:00

This past week sure flew by! The kids are in total re-coup mode today. Thankful Andrew has a 3-day weekend (thank you Columbus!) We had a very slow morning and it sure was nice. :)

I try to keep activities to a minimal each week, so we're not running around like crazy, but last week snuck through the cracks. We sure enjoyed it though!

Tuesday night we headed to our first family volleyball game to watch Kristin play. {They lost, bummer!} but we had fun. It's crazy to watch a game that I was so involved with through playing and/or coaching for about 10 years of my life and now I've barely touched a ball in the past 5 years. Maybe someday again. :)

On Thursday, I did a swap with my neighbor. I left Eden with her and took her toddler who is one of G's best buddies! (She is 39 weeks pregnant, so she said she preferred staying home with the quiet baby!)

I had to return something at the mall, so I took the 2 kiddos with me and they had lots of fun!

This about sums it up.

and this. =)

On Friday, my friend had some extra zoo passes and generously offered them to us. We love the zoo and the weather was gorgeous!
Graham seems to have a thing for the ladies. =)

My friend, Jolanta, is from Lithuania and always has fun & interesting things to talk about, I love that! Thanks Jolanta, we had a great time!
Not a bad pic for a 3-yr. old. :)

On Friday night, Andrew decided to set up our tent. Since we're not doing much camping in this stage of our life. =) Graham loved it and we had an impromptu dinner.

Again, enjoying such a week of beautiful weather. We know the COLD is coming! :-/

Saturday night we enjoyed dinner at Red Robin, courtesy of a gift card. I love getting restaurant gift cards! This one came through Andrew's work. Good job, babe!

We don't attempt dinner out with kiddos much, not super relaxing in my book. :) But both kids did great and of course, Red Robin is a very kid-friendly place!

Sunday evening we enjoyed a fun church picnic! We thoroughly enjoyed meeting many new faces. Graham loved the giant bonfire and getting to roast his first marshmallow. Sadly, no pics.

That was the whirlwind..........I think this week we're going to stay a little closer to home, though we do have a very fun Momtourage event planned (hayride, pumpkin patch, corn maze, etc...).

Eden also turns 8 months today and her first tooth just poked through this morning!

Happy Columbus Day!

hmmmm...................

2011-10-06T14:20:00.001-04:00

Something seems wrong with this picture.................

and this one......................

I am thankful that G seems to be doing much better in loving on his sister. He loves to make her laugh and she gets huge belly laughs over watching him. They are quickly becoming partners in crime. =) Not that he still doesn't have his moments. He now wants to pick her up which is not a good idea since he thinks dropping her is an acceptable option when he's "done". This is going to be one tough girl. =) She has already learned to look at me and grunt with what I swear is "Mom, get this crazy guy off of me!" But for the most part, though his affection is slightly rough..........it does seem to be out of love.

This is what we like to see. :)

Her face partly says "what is he doing to me now?"

Yesterday, after his naptime, he was playing "quietly" in his room.

His definition of quiet, not mine. :)

They don't share a room, but they do share a vent so the noise carries easily. So she was woken up just over an hour into her nap. Boo. I was going to let her fuss and she if she would go back to sleep...then I hear another voice over the monitor.........."it's ok baby". Oh no! Run upstairs and he is sitting IN her crib patting her back to comfort her.

I mean, how sweet is that.................however, naptime was officially over. =)

I do hope he will continue to be loving & nurturing to her.

Nothing like have a protective older brother.

2011-10-03T21:44:00.004-04:00

Graham wanted to type his name......in his own style, of course.

Ggggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

2011-10-02T16:23:00.002-04:00

With a sudden head butt to the book basket,

baby girl has her first black eye. :-/

the summer is fleeting..............

2011-09-29T13:35:00.000-04:00

I do love the season of Fall.

Pumpkin spice lattes (I'm making this one at home in my crockpot!),

jeans/boots/scarves (my favorite combo),

trips to the pumpkin patch,

and, in the words of Graham, cozy snuggles.

But I am also SO sad to say goodbye to warm sunny days.

Here's thanks to very beautiful months of August & September.

mid-air

thanks to Kristin for grabbing the camera & snapping. :)

oh sleep. I miss thee.

2011-09-27T13:43:00.001-04:00

So it's been a little brutal in the sleep department around here. Of course, if I went to bed at 7 when my kiddos did, I could be getting much longer stretches here. :) I do believe a certain little girl is teething. Last week she decided she needed a 5am feeding again. This week she decided, no, it needed to be 2am instead. So I feel like I've gone back to newborn stretches of sleep. UGH. We've had a couple of mornings where she's gone till 6, so hoping we're past the worst for now!

And then there's Gman..........the boy who slept for 12 hours without a peep for 2 straight years is suddenly finding it necessary to get up almost once a night. Sometimes it's a bad dream or a drink of water or something else of great importance.

I usually don't agree with its urgency. *wink,wink.

The other night I had fed Eden around 2 am and then could.not.fall.back.asleep. Boo those nights.

2 hours later, I finally dozed off....5am Graham comes wondering into our room in need of............a kiss and a hug.

oh my.........can you really be mad about that?

Women constantly say "oh these are the best years....I wish I had them back....savor them................" I will admit when I haven't had more than 6 hours of straight sleep for 8 months, it makes me a teeny bit crazy. =)

But then you have these moments...........and I know exactly what they mean.

The other week Graham comes up beside me, puts his arm around my shoulder and says, "you're my best friend." I don't even know when/where he learned that phrase.
Yesterday he came up and gave me a huge hug and said "I love you". The first time he has ever done that uninitiated.

Yes, my boy.........you can still melt me in an instant. :)

And you, my girl, are still as sweet as ever!

I am reminded to be so very grateful that I have tears to console, noses to wipe, diapers to change, kids to wake me up at all hours.

These precious gifts from God are also a daily joy.

Does anyone else ever get choked up singing You Are My Sunshine? The ending seriously takes my breath away. I guess that's the mom in me.

Thanking God for his grace & mercy.

And my hubby for understanding when the crazy-i-just-want-to-sleep-lady comes out. =)

And dear Sleep, when you're ready to be friends again, I'm here.

museum day

2011-09-26T10:29:00.001-04:00

It's the annual Fall freebie frenzy here in the 'Burgh! All the local museums & attractions are offering free days......the only problem is that they all seem to happen at once. :-/ But it's one of the things we love about living here. We've been able to visit so many different venues all for free here in the city.

On Saturday we went to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. It probably sounds boring, but Graham actually loves it! They have lots of real-like stuffed animals as well as dinosaur skeletons. So he almost feels like he's at the zoo. :)

Our favorite friend joined us!

the paleontologist, who is obviously large & in charge

lunch in the courtyard on a beautiful day!

Tea Collection

2011-09-22T13:47:00.000-04:00

Oh my heart. These clothes. Too adorable.

UPDATE: The Tea Collection has started a referral program and the reward is fabulous! Click here to set up an account and you'll get a discount code for $25 off a $50 purchase! Then you should get your own referral code that you can give to friends, and when they make a $50 purchase, you'll get a $25 certificate! If you check out their sale section, it might be totally worth it!

BUY 3, GET 15% OFF

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3. Take your pick of 3 items and you'll get 15% off your entire purchase. Enter promo code YAYPICK3 in your shopping bag or mention this offer at a participating store. Now through 9/25!

FYI.....they sell woman's clothing as well as infant-12 yrs. old.

I won't lie, it's pricey.

But they do have summer close-outs going on now!

I think Graham would like their summer tees.

I have now started using affiliate programs for Momtourage.

*Hoping* to earn a l.i.t.t.l.e. compensation for the time I give to it. :)

But it allows me to come across some pretty cute stuff.

And my favorite thing is when they send me a product to review. =)

We'll see if I'm so lucky with this company.

piano time

2011-09-21T08:48:00.000-04:00

singing his little heart out. =)

Psalm 62

2011-09-19T08:47:00.002-04:00

I love this song, particularly verse 3.

My soul finds rest in God alone,
My Rock and my salvation,
A fortress strong against my foes,
And I will not be shaken.
Though lips may bless and hearts may curse,
And lies like arrows pierce me,
I’ll fix my heart on righteousness,
I’ll look to Him who hears me.

O praise Him, hallelujah,
My Delight and my Reward;
Everlasting, never failing,
My Redeemer, my God.

Find rest, my soul, in God alone
Amid the world’s temptations;
When evil seeks to take a hold
I’ll cling to my salvation.
Though riches come and riches go,
Don’t set your heart upon them;
The fields of hope in which I sow
Are harvested in heaven.

O praise Him, hallelujah,
My Delight and my Reward;
Everlasting, never failing,
My Redeemer, my God.

I’ll set my gaze on God alone,
And trust in Him completely;
With every day pour out my soul,
And He will prove His mercy.
Though life is but a fleeting breath,
A sigh too brief to measure,
My King has crushed the curse of death
And I am His forever.

O praise Him, hallelujah,
My Delight and my Reward;
Everlasting, never failing,
My Redeemer, my God.
by Aaron Keyes and Stuart Townend.

Be encouraged today ~ listen to this beautiful song here.

bath time

2011-09-16T13:35:00.000-04:00

family visit

2011-09-15T22:12:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed having Andrew's brother & family (minus the triplets!) come for the weekend.

We first headed to one our favorite local spots, the Strip District.

Turns out, by filling out a survey, you could get $5 in market cash.

So we were able to get lunch (yummy Greek wraps!) as well as a bakery stop for cannoli's ~ all for free!

Graham & Uncle Joel

Jack & Graham

(and not me in the short-shorts) =)

SIL's

Pirates game

and what a pretty sky!

cousins

They predicted rain all weekend and we ended up with sunny, perfect weather.

It was a great weekend!

the determined

2011-09-12T10:02:00.003-04:00

There should be a rule about being allowed to pull up this early. :-/

(Though my mom informed me I was cruising at 7 months.....so looks like she might be following her mama's footsteps!) agh!

She is definitely proud of herself. =)

homemade yogurt

2011-09-10T14:49:00.000-04:00

We have now added a 4th yogurt eater in our home and I started doing the math.....realizing I could easily spend $12-15 a WEEK just on yogurt. To the rescue: my friend Joy who recently started this yummy food blog. Come to find out out...........you can make yogurt in a crockpot!

super simple.

super yummy.

super healthy.

super cheap.

do I need more reasons?

It was a little runny and I might dabble in using the geletin to thicken it. It definitely is not sweet, but it's super good and if needed, a tsp. of honey or jelly or some mixed-in fruit would probably do the trick! It certainly could not be easier (or cheaper!) to make. I'm a convert. =)

Snippet #1

2011-09-09T06:01:00.000-04:00

So I seem to not be able to sneak in much blogging lately. I do miss it, and I miss reading other blogs as much as I would like. And since scrapbooking has long ago flown out the window, :) I also want to preserve these days for all of us. But for now, especially for the sake of several family members who only get to see us through this page (hi!), I am going to try to put up more frequent, though shorter snippets. It might be a sneak peak in our day or something I'm making or something just for fun.

So for today....................

pants on the floor, pants on the floor.................. :)

Graham loves looking out the windows in our new home where he can watch everything from trash trucks to lawns being mowed to school buses to deer!

yes to seven

2011-09-08T19:32:00.000-04:00

yes, I am seven months old!

yes, I enjoyed being a beach babe.

yes, I am that limber.

yes, mommy wishes she could keep me in a basket forever.

I have other plans.

yes, I am CRAWLING, trying to pull up, and lots of other fun things that no one else is ready for me to do yet. wink*wink.

yes, I am 26 inches and 17.5 lbs.

But surprisingly lower percentiles than you might think!

Length = between percentile 25 and 50
Weight = between percentile 50 and 75

yes, I have a little {ok a lot} of sass & spunk in me. =)

yes, Rock Me sent me this snazzy little outfit.

other tidbits:

*Finally was successful in dropping nap #3.

I can now stay awake from 3-7! :)

*Sleeps 7pm-7am (ok, it's too often 6:30ish!)

and naps 8-10am & 1-3pm.

*Obsessed with peek-a-boo. She loves it.

*Does not like for mommy to be more than an arm's length away too often. :(

*She is surely a go-getter and seriously trying to pull up already. Slow down baby!

*She is driving Graham crazy with her new-found ability to come get in the middle of whatever he is playing with. The sibling fun begins, agh!

*Is loving food. Except my spinach quiche. She spit that out. I still have a hard time getting Graham to eat eggs, it's the one food they both seem to naturally disdain.

yes, I am a happy & sweet girl!

august is rushing by

2011-08-25T20:23:00.003-04:00

wow. 2 weeks since my last post.
Well, no one seems too worried. =)

We have had quite an eventful last few weeks and will continue for the next 2 weeks. After that, I believe things are going to slow down a bit. Of course I always think that will happen and I'm not sure that it does.

Many things to be thankful for {namely: some perfect weather, a long stretch of healthy kiddos, several date nights and good times with friends}!
*

Also very grateful for my kiddos who remain their
happy-slightly-crazy-selves always. :-}

One of Graham's recent favorite things is to pull out his drum full of instruments post-lunch-pre-naptime and we have music time. Eden's faves are the maracas, tambourine, and clacker. Graham likes the cymbals, triangle, and anything he can beat with a drumstick. It's a noisy half hour. =)

Andrew & Graham are also loving the Home Depot workshops that happen on the first Saturday of every month. If you have little ones, you should definitely check it out!

Graham is doing a little better at playing with Eden.
i.e., not just pushing her over for fun. :-/

and yes, she is wearing shiny, satin pink shorts on a Monday, because that's how she rolls. :)

But some of the brotherly torture will always be there.

borrowing Mr. Potato Head's specs.

We've had a few cool, fall-ish days, which felt amazing.

Playing outside with a little hat & jacket was perfect.

We've spent a lot of summer evenings

hanging out on the front porch!
Apparently it was a brown kind of day.

And who took this pic? Kristin?! :)

Our local riverboat cruise line asked me to come check out one of their kid's cruises

(to promo for the Momtourage).

Why, certainly!

So we headed on board for the Macaroni & Magic Cruise!

We had the most perfect weather!

I love summer evenings!

I have seen my husband express a lot a wisdom over the last few weeks and I love him even more for it.

the plan was that she would fall asleep.

9:30pm. hmmmmmmm.

We had a great time ~ enjoyed a yummy buffet, and fun magic show!

Definitely recommend the Gateway Clipper Fleet when you're in the 'Burgh!

We did feel the earthquake this week. Very thankful it didn't end up being destructive.

Thinking of our beach friends this weekend as Hurricane Irene moves in.

And hoping that it doesn't damage the condo that we're headed to in OBX next weekend!

And that's the latest.
Happy weekend to you all!

half-birthdays

2011-08-11T21:40:00.001-04:00

Graham is officially halfway to 3. wow.
He keeps us on our toes by the minute, there's no doubt. And is constantly cracking us up with what comes out of his mouth. Today at lunch he suddenly fell over sideways onto the floor. I think even he was surprised. We had a good laugh at that one. Usually when he falls, he pops back up and says "i'm o-tay. i'm a real man." (thank-you daddy.)

Some of our favorite phrases of his include:
be right back. As in, I'm going to the store, I'll be right back. thankfully he hasn't actually left the house yet. =)
I need to check something.
allright,thankx. He uses this phrase after almost everything you tell him. Graham, you need to go sit on the stairs for a time-out. allright, thankx. Maybe he doesn't understand the true meaning of thankful yet. :)
Come on guys, follow me.
Ready? Ready? When he wants dinner or we're leaving for somewhere, this comes up a lot!
WHY? oh my, we're hearing this word never-ending! Someone once told me that little ones use this because they want more information or to keep the conversation going, but they don't know what else to say. So for me, that has helped me be more patient in explaining details, plans, etc.....

This is a face we often see.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but he now calls me "babe" almost all the time. It started as him hearing it from Andrew and at first I corrected him and so then he called me "mommy-babe". Andrew & I were just discussing whether he calls me mommy at all now. Maybe I should be correcting him. But I know that all too soon this phase will pass and I'll probably miss it. :) He often calls Andrew "buddy" as well!

When he really wants my attention its "babe, babe, mommy-babe, babe, mommy-babe...."

I'm sure people in public are not sure what he is saying!
dancing with mommy-babe

When we tell him no for something, his new favorite is to come back with "but mommy said or daddy said....." where did he learn to do that?! Or my personal favorite {after trying to use the bathroom on the front lawn again}, "Avalon's mom said I could." Well, mister, I spoke with Avalon's mom and she has no recollection of this chat. Crazy kid. =)
I think Andrew's face says it all.

He is SO much into pretending right now. It's quite funny to hear him playing and hear him injecting pieces of our lives into whatever scenario he is doing. He loves to pretend our couch cushions are surfboards and tells many elaborate stories with his much-loved matchbox cars.
We are heading to the beach in a few weeks and when I told him, he immediately said, "bring my shovels for the sand and see Mama & Papa". I was quite astounded seeing that it's been almost a year ago that we went to the beach! He doesn't forget anything.
Golf & tennis are his current favorite sports! Since he has discovered daddy & mommy have golf clubs and that he can use them in the backyard, he has been very excited.

After we moved, he went through quite the rough patch. It was definitely our most challenging parenting moments {weeks!} so far. He has never been a melt-down kid, and suddenly we were having meltdown upon meltdown upon meltdown. Thankfully, he seems to have moved past the worst of it, but I think I am now understanding what they mean by the terrible twos. =) Praying for grace & wisdom as we seek to train him to love God & love others.

We love you, Graham Owen.

Just as God's love never wavers for us when we sin, so our love for you never wavers. But some days we have to ask for your forgiveness, because our patience does.

We love all the "jokes" you tell and hearing you say "that's silly, babe."

Another struggle that has suddenly come upon us is sibling jealously. I think you try to prepare for it when you know a baby is coming home. Overall, Graham seemed to transition very smoothly. But in the last 2 weeks, we have seen some very sad behavior. He will walk by and hit her or try to poke her in the eyes or push her over. It's made me so sad and I feel so protective of my little girl! What I've realized though is this: in the last 2 weeks she has become an independent sitter as well as started to eat solids and so suddenly she is playing with "his" toys and eating with "his" tableware. I think this is VERY upsetting to Graham and so he is acting out because of it. Like "well, she can live here, I guess, but what? use my spoon? no way! =) So we're talking a lot about love and hurt and kindness these days.
I am starting to see some signs of improvement. Eden loves to watch him. If you haven't seen the video on facebook of her cracking up at him, it's very sweet. Check it out here.

And then our Eden-girl is 6 months! What a fun age! She has taken up a new favorite past-time which is squealing. Gracious, that girl can screech. :) Seems to be in good fun though.
She loves, loves, loves her toes. They come in very handy when mommy doesn't have a toy nearby. :)

She is loving life, loving sitting up to play, loving gobbling foods.....life is pretty good!

She loves blowing raspberries. When she is upset she trys blowing rapsberries to comfort herself and sounds a little like a woman in labor. =)

Her system is still getting used to the new foods and she's still figuring out to pass them, so I think she's had some upset tummys in the past few days. :( I'm so thankful to finally be beyond cleaning diapers of the runny kind! Oxyclean has been a very close friend the past 6 months. =)

She's thinking about dropping that 3rd nap she usually takes around 4:30. It's only been about 15 minutes the last few days, so she's probably ready to drop it. Other than that, she takes a great morning & afternoon nap and usually sleeps 7-6:45. She's woken up at 4am the last 2 days, I am guessing 6 month growth spurt. Hopefully it is short-lived!

She really doesn't like to be left alone when I have to tend to Graham for something. That's usually the only times she really gets upset.

We are so excited to have retired the swing & boppy! It's always nice to be able to put away some of that space-cramping baby gear.

are those some serious ankle rolls I see?!

One of her most favorite things is to play peek-a-boo. I started doing it by covering my eyes and now when I lay her on the changing table she immediately covers her eyes with her hands!

I love this pic of her & my sister!

We love you Eden Hope!

You are such a joy and {usually} so patient.

We love your smiles & giggles and it's so fun seeing you learn new things continually!

All I request is that you go back to your 7am wake-up call. =)

some good gadgets

2011-08-08T14:38:00.000-04:00

There are so many, many baby items out there! All new moms know the feeling of looking up the Babies R Us *absolutely must have* list, only to immediately be skeptical about the 6,000 items on it (as you should be). Then comes the desperate plea on facebook, "ok moms, what do I really need?" It's a tricky thing though, because all babies are different. I personally would have put a baby swing & exersaucer on a "maybe" list, only to find that these were probably 2 of my most used items with both of my kids. But then, some kids scream at the sight of a swing. :)

We are very blessed to live in a day of having so many conveniences available to us. I couldn't even count the number of times when I've been out and an older lady has said to me, "wow, I wish I had *that* when my kids were little"!

Here's 2 of my newest favorite gadgets.

Not ~ can't live without ~ but most definitely handy!

The Boon company was generous enough to do a give-a-way for my Momtourage group a couple months ago and also sent me this handy little spoon to try for myself.

By the way, are their products fun or what?!

(I also have one of their fluid sippy cups.) And how much would I like to have some of their Groovy ModWare (customizable plates and dipping bowls) for a little boy that likes to dip in everything from ranch to raspberry vinigrette to tomato-basil hummus. :)

So you just screw off the white spoon part, put baby food in the handle and then it squirts thru a tiny hole into the spoon. It's advertised for "on the go", but I have been using it at home almost every day (though it's definitely amazing for taking with you as well!) Maybe because I have a baby girl who starts squawking every time the spoon is empty, =) but it sure is handy. AND seems to be a little bit less messy for little fingers that like to "help".

The next gadget was purchased out of sheer desperation (and sleep deprivation). =)

Of course, you know by the price, that the company is well aware of that. :)

Graham went through a really rough sleep period when we moved into our new house. The child that has been sleeping 12+ hours a night for over 2 years was suddenly wandering into our room at 11pm, 1am, 3am, & 5am....... AGH! This went on for about 2 weeks (hence my desperation.)

I had heard about the Good Nite Light from others and had even recommended it to friends. But when I went to purchase, it seemed that there was several issues that people didn't like about it. (Though it definitely works for some people!) A lot of people were suggesting this Teach Me Time clock as a better alternative. Again, a little pricey, however because this can be used a clock & alarm clock indefinitely, we decided it was worth it. You set the clock for it to light up at a set time. It first lights up yellow and then turns green. Some people use it as a nightlite and it's yellow all night and then when it turns green, kids know they can get up. Graham doesn't use a nightlight, so we have it set to come on (yellow) at 6:45 and then he knows he can sit in bed and read books. At 7:15 it changes to green and he knows that he can get out of bed. It's worked really great. The sleeping thru the night worked itself out, but I think it's such a great concept for little ones when they wake up in the morning, since they don't know whether it's 5am or 7am! Especially with the bright summer sun, no matter how hard you try to cover those windows. =)

I'm also thinking when the time comes that he drops his afternoon nap (hopefully not any time soon of course!), that it will be handy for helping him track having quiet time in his room.

So.........there you go. 2 things that I'm enjoying.

Do you have any handy gadget that are streamlining your life these days?

2011-08-05T08:48:00.002-04:00

We have so enjoyed a lovely week with my sister Katie!

We made lots of yummy meals {chicken stir-fry, tomato soup with cheesy quesadillas, homemade pizza, shimp-mango kabobs with taboule salad, beef stroganoff, fettuccine with ricotta, tomato, & basil, whole-wheat buttermilk blueberry pancakes} and goodies {scones, granola bars, chocolate chip cookies - did you know you could sub avacado for 1/2 the butter in cookies and they taste the same?!} I may have done a lot of cooking, but she was always right behind me doing the dishes. Loved that. :) We went to the Zoo, the park, took walks, Rita's, Dairy Queen.........and just enjoyed spending time together! She also was so generous in watching the kids so I was able to take Graham to see the movie Wizard of Oz, Andrew & I snuck in a date night, and I got to have coffee with a dear friend.

Yes, I'd say it was a very full week. =)

As always, she had her camera a'snappin!

His first band-aid - it's hard to believe he made it 2.5 years!

We call this her scrunch-smile.

She snapped some family pics for us as well!

Thank you for making the trip to see us!

We love you, dear sister.

& miss, miss, miss you so much when we're apart.

friends

2011-08-01T13:38:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, some friends of ours that we have known since college, made Pittsburgh their meeting spot. We were happy to see them and hang out with them for the weekend!

One minor point, as with the rest of the country, we were facing record high temps. On friday I believe it hit 105 + humidity. And that's when our neighborhood tranformer blew. So we proceeded to be without power, lights, fans, a/c, etc....for about 20 hours. It was so hot. My poor kiddos were covered in sweat when they were sleeping. Not what you want to happen, especially when you have guests. :-/ We made it though and it finally came back on!

Graham had so much fun with Brynne.

It's hard to s.h.a.r.e. when you're two.

But most of the time they had lots of fun!

I wasn't one itty.bitty.bit. desiring to be in their state. :)

They were troopers!

We all played volleyball in college together.

This reminds me why I played back row and they played front. =)

So Graham was allowed to go without many clothes for much of the weekend because it was so hot. I am sure we looked like total hippy parents. I promise, he usually does wear clothes. :)

We came home from church on Sunday and were having one last meal before they all left. Somehow G ended up in just his tighty whiteys. (Does anyone else get distracted when you have company and feel like you don't know what your child is really doing?!)

Then as we were saying goodbye on the front porch, he suddenly drops those and starts peeing in our front yard. Yep, one of our most embarrassing parent moments to date.

Did I mention we were hippies? =)

I can only hope Brynne is not scarred for life.

food.

2011-07-25T19:47:00.001-04:00

baby girl has been dying to eat some food. A {slightly older} lady in my church was just telling me that when her kids were little, her Dr. had them starting on cereal at 6 weeks. I can't even fathom that! 5.5 months seems to be a good point for us.

Eden always wants to sit on my lap during meal times to partake in whatever scraps she can beg. =) A few days ago, she was going to town on a stick of green pepper. I know the real food challenges start when they start "real" food, so I definitely can't declare her a foodie. But my kids were both excited at the new venture of eating!

hmmm....what do we have here?

let me just check this out.

big smiles for G, as always. :)

the spoon is most fun of all.

look, mom, no hands.

the shirt didn't survive for little miss sunshine.

I don't think she cared.

and then Graham decided it was snack time.

maybe this is why I feel a large portion of my day
is feeding one or the other. =)

first swing

2011-07-25T08:22:00.000-04:00

I need this reminder.

2011-07-15T08:53:00.000-04:00

Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work.

Read the rest of this great article by Rachel Jankovic here.

teaching your kids about money

2011-07-14T14:53:00.000-04:00

I have recently been reading this book and wanted to recommend it to all parents whose children are not yet grown and gone. Teaching our children how to be good stewards and managers of their money is probably one of the most important and practical life skills we will give them. This family chose a rather "radical" way to do it. Beginning in 6th grade, they started giving their children a "salary". At the beginning of the month, their kids were given an agreed upon amount of money that they then needed to learn to manage through giving, saving, and budgeting for various expenses - clothes, gifts, entertainment, etc.... As they grew older, the list of their expenses would grow as would their salaries and by the time they graduated from high school, they were managing all of their expenses besides food, tuition, & shelter.

Andrew & I haven't discussed in too much detail how we will go about this exactly for our kids (thankfully we have a little time before 6th grade) :), but I do love this concept. How many kids graduate from high school (or even college!) and have never handled money, budgeted or made financial decisions before?

Seems a much better way than giving our kids $1 a week in which they have to choose between spending it on toys or candy. =)

Though small children have very little understanding of money, she does give some tips

to help start instilling healthy attitudes about money.

DO:

Let them observe mommy & daddy taking good care of their money.

Let them see you deposit money in the bank.

Use coins to help teach them how to count.

Give rewards of hugs or praise, not money.

Say, "we don't choose to spend our money that way" more often than you say "we can't afford it".

Teach them about finding the best value in the stores.

DON'T:

Argue about money in front of the kids.

Use money to bribe or manipulate.

Let your child see or hear you worry about money.

Allow kids to be only takers. Help them find ways to give to others.

Overindulge your child.

It was interesting how she said the teen years of her kids went so smoothly, in part because there were no fights over "I want these clothes or this thing or to go here"........ her kids had well-learned by high school how to save and budget for the things they needed or wanted.

Hope some of you will find this book helpful as well!

1, 2, 3, 4....five

2011-07-11T06:44:00.008-04:00

yes, our little lady is 5 months old!

She is such a joy to our family. SO sweet.

She is very joyful and is so patient when she often gets plopped down for some emergency with her brother. :) Whoever thought babies were high-maintenance? I would suggest 2 year olds are much more demanding. =)

She has really started to giggle this month.

Baby laughs are just the best!

She randomly laughs out loud when Graham or daddy are around. I guess she finds them very amusing!

when daddy is on duty, all I can say is....I'm sorry. :)

After many, many ups & downs, sickies, vacays, moving......
I think we are finally at the 12 hour sleep to stay! Praise God! I don't mind helping them get to the long nights, but when you have to do it over and over and over again....whew, that is wearying. I felt like it wasn't her fault at all, she tried to start the long stretches at 7 weeks. And then the craziness hit for the next months. Poor girl!
She sleeps 7-7:30 now, yay! She naps for 1.5-2 hours in the morning and usually 2-3 hours in the afternoon. So thankful for a good napper so far!

She is staying well fed {can you tell}!

I am so thankful that she is a great eater. She's not into bottles so much, but then she's only had about 4 of them in her life, so I guess that's expected. :)

16 lbs, 25 inches at her 4.5 month appt. 90/95th percentiles. =)

Also at her well visit, the dr. thought he heard a hip click, so she had to have an ultrasound done. But very thankfully, all is well & normal with her hips!

She has started to be very interested in what I'm eating! I'm just so not ready to start the whole solid thing with her yet.

She can't be that grown up. :-/

She has had a few tiny bites of couscous, licked some smoothie off my finger, and sucked on a carrot, peach & a plum....so I guess we'll be there in not too long!

Trying out her new suit.

She stuck her toes in the fountains at the spray park. :)

Graham has been really sweet with her lately. He likes to give her hugs and play with her. She loves to be entertained by watching him.

I still have to keep an eagle eye. Like when he calmly announces to me that he gave the baby a raisin.

oh mercy.

thankfully it was in the roof of her mouth!

She loves him.

a lot.

thankfully he thinks it's funny when she pulls his hair.

Probably also a good thing that she's staying pretty bald so far. :)

did I mention she rolls over now? She's lately taking longer to fall asleep because she likes to roll, flip, and all kinds of fun things in her crib. =)

and she's getting closer to sitting! Still needs some pillow support, but it won't be too long!

These 2 kiddos keep me on my toes all day!

love 'em.

2011-07-08T13:18:00.000-04:00

So in uploading a new header photo, this was the message I received.... We're sorry, but you have exceeded your photo upload quota. For more information, check out this Blogger help page.

Has this happened to anyone else and what do I do now?!

boys nite out

2011-07-07T14:04:00.000-04:00

We have a serious sports fanatic in our house!

I think most boys seem to really be drawn to playing with balls, but somehow I feel like Graham has a serious passion! Andrew & I obviously love sports and both played multiple sports through high school & college and then mostly did tennis & running once we were married. But since having kiddos, we have not played much of anything! Andrew enjoys watching sports on tv, but doesn't even have the chance to do that on a regular basis. However, all it takes is for Graham to see one game and he is hooked! He watched one of the World Cup soccer games (that was 6 months ago? more?). It was the only time he's ever seen a soccer game, but somehow knows exactly what to do with a soccer ball. He recently saw a tennis match, so that is a new love. He watched one round of golf and now has to wear a visor (his "golf" hat) every time he is "playing".

His typical morning involves asking me to play golf, baseball, soccer, tennis, bowling and maybe frisbee with him. Is this the case for other moms?!

The Steeler & Pirate Stadiums are along the river here in Pittsburgh and every time we get close to the river he begins talking about them! Since our move, we drive past both stadiums quite frequently and he loves it! I get asked non-stop if we can go to a game.

Puh-leeeeeeeeeeeease???

(where did he learn that?!)

Andrew & I took him to a game at the beginning of the season and he just loved it. So Andrew came home yesterday and announced it was game night for the boys!

Daddys have to wait so long for their kids to be able to go and do fun activities with them. I know it's a hard wait and that they love when it can finally happen!

Graham was very excited about his backpack. :)

calling for a ball. he calls guys "the manz".

He told me the manz were throwing the balls. :)

watching the "tv" as he calls it.

offering to share his snack with daddy

he did have to go to the bathroom 4 times.

welcome to my world, honey. =)

Andrew said it was a perfect night!

fourth fun

2011-07-05T20:29:00.000-04:00

So this is one holiday I don't have to decorate for.

Apparently the older gentleman who lived here before us, really liked red, white, & blue. And painted every rock, brick & stump in our yard in those colors. It is colorful! (not to mention patriotic.) =)

from the back, our house looks giant! (it actually has 2 basements so it's not as big as it appears.)

{For friends from the Beach, it reminds us a lot of our house there!}

Andrew found this plastic dog in the yard. It looked so realistic that at first, he thought it was a dead dog. :-/

Apparently it's getting a bath.

G loves it, since the poor child is deprived of a real animal. =)

We were invited to friends for a cookout, but since it involved skipping naps we decided it could be very BAD for heading to the fireworks! So we grilled at home and had a great relaxing day.

I am just realizing my laundry load is about to triple.

We've eaten dinner on our deck every night since moving in.

We love the view!

Some of the flowers currently blooming in our yard.............

this is my kind of landscaping - no maintenance required. :)

do we look ready for fireworks or what?

We joined some friends and watched from the West End overlook - 5 minutes from our house!

Graham covered his ears & eyes most of the time.

Eden watched the entire show, enthralled.

*somebody* is quite wide awake for 10 pm!

(yes, I do mean me.)

a fun holiday, that 4th of July is!

2011-07-04T08:45:00.000-04:00

Smoothies on the front porch is a very good start to a holiday.

There are many little boys who can't sit on the porch with their daddys today. Thank you to all those who serve our country and to the families who sacrifice so much by letting them go.

Happy 4th of July!

moved

2011-06-28T21:32:00.000-04:00

we survived.

have you ever had one of those weeks where e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. went wrong?

of course you have.

That was our week in a nutshell.

Have to say, it was one of the most difficult weeks we've ever had. Towards the end of the week, we were really, really weary. thinking, what is going on? and what possibly could go wrong next.

_________________

God is in control. One day at a time. His mercies were new.

Great is His faithfulness.

_________________

don't let him fool you...he wasn't that helpful. =)

At the beginning of the week, we had 2 volunteers available to help. It wasn't looking good. So thankful that a lot of people ended up being there to help. Everyone worked so hard & long, we give big thanks to Matt, Micah, Titus, Ben, Micah, Todd, Kristin, Wes, Dan, James, Dave & Dennis.

Especially thankful to Wendy, for being at the new house with me & the kids. It was a huge help to have another pair of hands there! And she brought lunch for everyone. Also amazing.

And then our friends, the Lesters, dropped off Subway for us that night.

I don't know that I've ever thought about it too much, but if you hear someone if moving, providing some meals on that day is a huge blessing! I'm going to remember that. =)

Also a huge blessing was that we have friends that now live across the street from us and she watched G while the truck was being unloaded. Thanks Val!

Andrew was in Director mode all day. :)

And now, we are just loving our new place! The home is a much, much better set-up for our family and I am really thankful for that. Most of all, we love our new backyard. Andrew & I looked at each other the first night and said at the same, "I feel like I can breathe." We didn't even realize how confined and closed in we were feeling. We love the breeze flowing through our house and seeing trees & grass out our windows! We have been seeing beautiful sunsets out our back windows. We are very thankful.

Graham is in outdoor heaven!

We can't wait for many backyard BBQ's with friends this summer!

Kristin initiated our new guest area for a couple of days. (I think she gave it a thumbs up.) We were so thankful to have her here and I was able to get so much done that I wouldn't have been able to with the kiddos (mostly G!) running circles around me.

Every morning that breaks

There are mercies anew

Every breath that I take

Is your faithfulness proved

And at the end of each day

When my labors are through

I will sing of Your mercies anew

And Your mercies, they will never end

For ten thousand years they’ll remain

And when this world’s beauty has passed away

Your mercies will be unchanged

I will sing of Your mercies anew.
*

six

2011-06-17T07:04:00.003-04:00

Amidst all the craziness that is going on right now....

Happy Sixth Anniversary to my hubby!

We are thankful to still be able to sneak in a date night,

yay for a friday night {and a babysitter}!

6 years that have flown by. We've had so many good times. It's been so fun exploring Pgh together and the past 2 years have been quite interesting and different than we expected.

But it's the journey we've walked through together.

Thanks, babe, for your continual leadership in our home, your Christ focus, being such a great daddy and always loving me so well.

I love you.

the move

2011-06-15T22:35:00.000-04:00

well, you may have heard the buzz....we are moving {across town}. Our current lease ends June 30th. We had hoped to re-sign, but several factors kept that from happening. A big one is that Andrew's job, which is currently about 10 minutes from us was moving out to a suburb. Because we only have one car, he takes the bus in the morning and then we pick him up in the afternoon. With his new location, a bus ride would take over an hour. We had hoped to negotiate a few things with our landlords on our current place, but couldn't come to an agreement with them. So that being said, we had started looking for a place out near where Andrew's job will soon be located. It was pretty discouraging to think we were maybe going to land in a 2 bedroom apartment for a while...my biggest fear - no laundry of our own. And where would we put our current appliances, bikes, you name it....but just when I was about to despair, God provided in an amazing way. Oh me of little faith. :-/
He has provided us a full house with a HUGE backyard!! We are so thrilled. We currently live in a cement jungle, and while we LOVE our location, something about having little ones running circles around your kitchen table, makes you really, really, really wish for some grass. :)
We are also excited that it has a separate guest area, complete with a full bath & balcony over-looking the yard. We typically have quite a few guests and most of them have very politely put up with the fact that you have to walk through our current bedroom to get to the guest area! So now, guests will have their own space & privacy. *Make your reservation....dates are already being taken!
So, we currently have less than 2 weeks to pack everything. Thankfully I am married to super-packer himself. :)
Our move date will be next Saturday, June 25th.
You might not hear much from me...............I'll be packing. :)

four

2011-06-10T07:00:00.003-04:00

Happy 4 months, Eden Hope!

Eden is such a happy & peaceful little girl. We love to see her smiles! She gives them to mommy, daddy & G the most readily, but others can sometimes coax it out of her. :) I've heard a few short giggles. Baby laughs are the best!

Her newest favorite thing that she has discovered is squealing!! She can let out some piercing ones and she loves it! She also likes to have "conversations" with me and can be very chatty.

I love our chats.

my sister's idea...why didn't I think of this before?!

G & E are starting to interact with each other a lot more. He will now stop and try to play with her in passing. She usually is quite amused by him! I still have to protect her somewhat. He likes to squeeze & poke her, I don't know why!

She just started sitting up in the exersaucer. I love when they move to that because it keeps them so fascinated! She's gotten to that stage where she doesn't enjoy her playmat as much because she wants to be UP and seeing all the action! Graham likes to spin her & pull her around in it. Sorry Eden, you're in for lots of action with this big bro. =)

She is a snuggler!

I'm not complaining. =)

with her cousins, Livi & Lexi

with aunt katie

{and I can't get enough Babylegs!}

Very excited that I got 6 free pairs thru a promo with Snuggle Luv!

She chews on her hands & fingers (and anything else she can snag!) nonstop.

Lots of drool & bubbles. :)

She is a very easy & laid back baby by day and her nights are getting much better! I just looked up Graham's 4 month update and it was funny that I had written that his night sleeping had just clicked for him too at this point!

I finally discovered that I needed to make her skip that 4th nap. She doesn't always like it and sometimes if we're taking a walk, she sneaks it in :), but overall, that seems to have made the difference in her sleeping longer at night.
I decided that after vacation we were going to try very hard :) to drop that 5am feeding. I tried one morning and only made it to 5:30, but the next few days she decided to sleep till 7 on her own. Oh blessedness!! To have a full night's sleep back after 4 months is a wonderful thing! I know many moms have to go much longer, so I am very thankful.

You are our sweet gift from God, baby girl!

photos courtesy of my sister!

my siblings

2011-06-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

{I did warn that I have a lot of new pics, right?}

It is very rare for all 5 of us siblings to be in the same place in the same time. It was so great to see them all!

And random that our outfits all coordinated. =)

2011-06-07T22:56:00.000-04:00

I thought this pic needed its own post.

{taken by my sister, Katie}

the cheeks....the EYES...the little tongue....the rosebuds....

I wish I could freeze time.

road trip

2011-06-07T20:11:00.000-04:00

Yep, 2000 miles and 35 hours in the car later and we have been to Minnesota and back! What a great time it was. We went back & forth between flying or driving. Flying is quick and easy. However, we have 2 carseats, double stroller, not to mention a gazillion other baby/kid items. Plus, we would need a car for the week anyways. So we decided to go for it. We left on a friday at 3pm. Arrived at friends in Illinois around 1am. On Saturday, we drove to MN. The kids did awesome. I figured Graham would be ok because we could bring things for him to play with, plus he could watch movies on the dvd player. Eden, I wasn't so sure about! I knew if she got fed up with riding and decided to start a scream-fest there wouldn't be much we could do about it! But, they both did great. A few minutes of fussing here & there...but not bad at all.

First stop was at my brother & family's house. We had such a fun weekend with them! Their cousins are so sweet with them and they all love to play together. Aunt Katie, the great family photographer, was hard at work. :)

Every time I turn around, this child is in to a new sport!

Next, we spent the rest of the week at my grandma's house in Minneapolis.

I love how snuggly this girl is!

Rainforest Cafe in the Mall of America with my brother and his girlfriend!

The thunder & lightening startled Graham and after it went off the first time, he spent the rest of his meal plugging one ear. Crazy cat!

If you notice, he still has one ear plugged after we're long gone. =)

Some pics at one of our favorite spots in Minneapolis

With Grandma & Grandpa

my sister's favorite subject :)

Heading home.

As we prepared to come home, I figured we would really be in for it. Eden had let us know several times during the week that she did not want to be in the car anymore. :) As we hit the road Sunday morning, we knew the kids really needed to be home. So instead of stopping at another friend's home as we had planned, we decided to just go for it.

Best decision we could have made, for sure! It took us 17 hours total. We had to stop about every 3.5 hours for Eden to eat, Graham to potty...all that fun stuff. {Speaking of pottying....I knew this week would be the big test for Graham. He did great, no accidents, and though he wore a pull-up in the car - he stayed dry the whole time!}

Halfway thru the trip, Eden started getting a little fussy and wanted someone to sit in back with her. So I spent much of the trip scrunched between 2 car seats in the back seat. so much fun. :-/ But in the end, it didn't matter. We arrived home around 1:30 am and everyone was very excited to be back in their own beds!

**************

Good thing we have the ~~monk~~....gps. :)

Seriously, if you don't have one of these gizmos, it might be the best money you could ever spend.

Talk about taking headaches out of travel!

trying out big brother's seat at a rest stop.

I think she wants to stay.

I'll be so glad when she can be front-facing!

thankful for a great trip. Wonderful to see all my family & a few friends.

I'll have more pictures to come!

Siblings

2011-05-24T20:05:00.000-04:00

Everyone is always comparing who looks like who!

Most people say Eden looks exactly like Graham.

But then they say she looks exactly like me.

Then the next person says she looks just like her daddy.

I happen to think she looks totally different than Graham, but that's just me. :)

Definitely they look like siblings....but they certainly have their own looks.

Gman

Eden-girl

He DEFINITELY has a few extra rolls on her. :)

Graham was a pretty happy baby, but this girl has a smile that lights up the room!

It seriously makes my day. Every day.

In the end, it doesn't matter to me! I'll keep them both. =)