Wow - a record!

I'm sitting here, blogging again (can you tell the congestion has me looking for distractions since I can't nap or lay down when I'm "free" - like when kids nap, etc.) Ok , enough whining! I swear! I'll gather me some grace and gratitude...

I thought since I'm up, sipping some blueberry tea (!!) I'd post some pics from today....Little Val practicing some walking, and Lovely doing today's Advent Adventure and making her Jesse Tree ornaments (somehow sleepy mommy got a day ahead and we did two ornaments lol - it's all good, tomorrow is a busy day!)

You can see Lovely watched the cute kid bible story as she colored on the laptop - I love how the kids lead everything in the Adventures. Lovely really gets into it! She was proud after hanging them at the bottom of her tree. It'll be fun to fill the tree to the top!

Ignore the mess of things on the kitchen and dining room tables. All our decorations are out on the table, hanging out...one day I'll do something with them :)



Ok - this is the medicine I needed - seeing my babies sweet faces after time spent together!

(hopefully) GOODNIGHT!

(Oh - I posted this, then turned around and saw the bed....HA on me if I thought I was about to crawl into this sanctuary....look at it. I guess instead of looking at pics of my kids and blogging them I SHOULD have tackled this...but...I had to snap a pic...this is also part of my REAL life haha!)


HA on Goodnight. Congested or not...no more procrastination.... lol!

"I SO Rock" AGAIN :)

So, I was back at my GP again today to make sure I still was not infected (I'm still not convinced I don't have a hidden infection brewing still - her diagnosis is that I'm just pregnant and stuffy and she can't do anything until I get infected - I'm bummed and considering getting an ENT for this issue. I need more proactive care. I don't want to keep taking antibiotics and creating scar tissue and drug resistance with every infection - plus I'm PREGGO!!) and while I came without books (silly brain) and the girls read waiting room magazines - lol - the girls read:

AHEM....

Prevention Magazine (Valiant)

Woman's Health (Lovely - until the attraction of playing quietly with a small toy and a office potted fern as a "forest" in her imagination became a more exciting way to pass the time).

The waiting time went great AGAIN (need the backstory? Read this), and I just have to say...

"I SOOOO Rock!!" AGAIN!!

Day Book - Monday Edition

Outside my window... cool, cloudy morning with sprinkles of rain.

I am thinking… of how nice a nap will be in a few minutes.

I am thankful for…amazing friends.

From the kitchen… I just pigged out on way too much! Lunch will be Thanksgiving leftovers...yum!! Then, I really need to have a modest dinner...

I am wearing…bare feet, PJ pants, and T-shirt

I am going...BACK to the doctor this afternoon to see what else I can do for my sinuses. I think I need an ENT.

I am reading...magazines for fun, and lots of great stuff for a family based Advent online.

I am hoping…that the Advent concert rehearsal tomorrow night, and the concert Friday night go well for Hubby and I (we lend our flute and violin) but especially for the main artists who are putting everything into this for the spirit of others!

I am hearing...THIS in our bedroom (playing on computer).

I am creating…ideas for Advent, Christmas presents, and a dinner menu here this week lol!

I am praying… for all of our friends and family with sick ones in the house! What a bug season this Fall is. I hear every 5 years there is a cycle of stubborn colds and viruses and this is year 5!

Around the house…don't get me started! Ugh! I'm so behind, and my parents are sleeping over tomorrow night...ACK!!

One of my favorite things… Lovely's excitement over this season AND little Val's constant snuggles, hugs, smiles, silly teethy smiles, and her singing of Twinkle Twinkle. I LOVE this age!!! It goes by so fast for both girls!

I am pondering...This quote and how it applies to my life. I obviously fail at it every day - and I'm trying to rationalize that the people I speak to in confidence can help me with honest direction. Otherwise...in looking at the rule - I'm a BIG failure...

"never speak badly of your brother, not even when you have plenty of reasons for doing so. Go first to the tabernacle, and then go to the priest, your father, and also tell him what is bothering you. And to no one else." - St. Josemaria Escriva

A few plans for the rest of the week…rehearsals, practicing, trying to rest and heal with my sinus infection, our Woman's Prayer group meeting, a MOPS meeting, a Santa brunch Saturday with family and friends, and our mommy group Christmas Party at our house Saturday evening...WHEW!

A “picture thought” I’m sharing…

This picture is from a few weeks ago when we hosted our church supper group on Hubby's birthday. It was the first time I put together a more fancy table and I was pretty excited. It's just a nice memory of feeling like a true "adult" when I feel like a kid most of the time LOL!

Much Love!!

Happy New Year!! :)

Howdy Howdy!!!

I'm attempting some happy wishes while feeling sick again on a GORGEOUS day. I may have to get the girls and I out despite my swollen sinuses for a walk before the sun sets. But, I'll end this pity party with a hearty "Happy New Year!"

No - I'm not confused from my medication! For any Christian followers who enjoy the season of Advent, today is the first day of Advent and the start of a new Christian year. For Catholics, it's the start of a new liturgical year which includes reading a different new testament book of the bible than the previous year (new cycle). The older I get, the more I think these trivia facts get cooler, and I appreciate them more.

I'm also excited because Advent is the time of preparation for Christmas! We're preparing our hearts, homes, and minds for the coming of Baby Jesus and the Promise! It's a time rich in tradition for so many families. People love their Christmas traditions, and I love hearing about them. As Lovely ages, I've tried to do new traditions that can make this season more enjoyable and meaningful for the whole family. I guess I feel that with each passing year, we rush from Halloween into Christmas in the retail world, and their calendar dictates what we think and feel. Poor Thanksgiving gets skipped over, and then in the countdown to Christmas it seems stressful -rush rush, buy buy, etc. Sure, I can be working on myself to stay calm, but a lot of that pressure can be external. The true reason for the season, and the whole reason Advent is around is to help us quiet down, prepare, have hope, peace, and joy as we await the coming of Hope and Life. It's a time to enjoy Advent and Christmas traditions, family, and friends. It's more than just shopping and presents (though the making of presents can be fun!) and I like that something out there is telling me to slow down, listen, and wait.

Many church denominations share the same traditions (Advent Wreathes, Jesse tree etc), hold Advent Women Teas, focus on scripture, pause and reflect each Sunday and every day - and I love how Christ brings us all together in the hope of this season! Even when we feel the pinch of the economy on our wallets, if we just look to each other we realize just how RICH we are in those around us. My life is so full of blessings, I can hardly list them all. Now that's MY 401K!!

So what are your Advent and Christmas traditions? I wonder what my family could be missing? I love making this liturgical season special, and a time to renew my own faith, and today starts so much of that for my family!!! Here is a starting list to what we'll be doing in our home. Some of these things we've always done, some we're starting this year:

Christmas Tree
Decorations all over the house
Nativity (I love having them everywhere - and the girls have a set to play with)
Advent Wreath
Advent Calendar (I wanted to make one, but ran out of time. We got one of those cute door and chocolate ones from my childhood for Lovely. I LOVED those! See picture - she's holding it!)
Bible Stories
Christmas Stories (many from the books I read as a child!! I still have them!)
The Nutcracker (we have a big music box the girls love watching and hearing, and the story and the ballet music are so wonderful!)
Holiday Music in the house (more sounds of the season - to calm and enjoy. We'll also have less TV )
Jesse Tree (our first one!! This is a new tradition for us, kid led with Lovely making the ornaments. We're using the Advent Adventures as our guide!)
Coloring pages, projects, and games (again, many in thanks to Advent Adventures!)
Special Holiday foods (both traditional and some more symbolic - all tasty hehe!)
3 Gifts on Christmas morning (my parents did this...not sure how old the tradition goes back in the family - but my parents never let us have more than 3 gifts from them and Santa - Santa and my parents only give us the same amount of gifts Baby Jesus got. LOVED this idea...even as a child! It helped me remember Christmas is Jesus' birthday and "the reason for the season.")
Santa/ Ole St. Nick (yes, we love Santa here. I love the magic of the imagination with the blending of the Christmas spirit. My parents always told us Santa/St. Nick was a way to spread that love of the season of giving on Jesus b-day and he was a Saint too! It made that spirit, that magic, STILL fun, even after we were old enough to know who acted on Santa's behalf hehe!! Here is a great post about Santa/St. Nick from Sarah at Snoring Scholar)
Christmas Stockings
CLASSIC holiday movies ( love Rankin Bass classics like Rudolph, Nestor [LOVE Nestor - the story of the donkey who carried Mary], Little Drummer Boy, Santa Clause is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snow Man, etc.)
Christmas Cookies and Reindeer Food!
Reading of the Christmas Story and Twas the Night Before Christmas
Advent Adventures (I LOVE this home program. It helps all of us learn new traditions, understand why we do what we do, craft together, learn liturgy, as well as gather us in prayer)
...and I'm always remembering more....I'd love to hear more!

Here is a New Year's picture from the girls to you :)



This was today after Lovely and I got the Advent wreath ready with greenery (this pottery wreath is from my childhood and growing up years!! I love it for both sentimental reasons and the fact it holds both the candles AND water for the greenery!) and did our lighting blessing and song. She's also holding a tradition of my childhood - the Advent calendar - the chocolate kind - open a door and find a surprise as we countdown to Christmas (maybe next year I'll have made my own...). Little Valiant enjoys the candle, singing, and snacking :) It's a good day to just hang out, ready the house, and be together in this new season, new year.

I hope you all have a great season! Blessings abound if you look hard enough! Fill free to send any traditions you do. I LOVE ideas and hearing other people's stories! This season is SO RICH!

Happy New Year! Happy Advent!!

(Oh! An another cool thing? Once Christmas is here, it REALLY is 12 days long hehe, not just one day like retail says!! FUN!! Bring on the Christmas music!! But I digress....lol)

************************************
Oh - if you didn't click on the above links to those classic movies, below is a clip of Nestor, and Rudolph. I love how both address lovely aspects of faith, the season, and the magic - along with overcoming obstacles with some grace (Nestor trips over his ears and is made fun of, but yet is chosen to carry the Holy Family, and Rudolph has to overcome teasing to save the day (Hermie too, and the misfit toys...lol!)





and just for fun - I have this book based on the art of this lovely version of the 40s Rudolph:

"I SO Rock!"

Ok - so I've had a "real" day today :)

We've had one of those appointment days - Baby checkup, Lovely school conference, mom's group coffee, the store, doc appt for ME, and the checkup/appts were all during nap time, so Valiant has barely slept today.

I picked Lovely up, had her GREAT conference (more on that another time) and then we RUSHED to my doc appt (my sinus infection is creeping back...ugh!) at 3:30. Of course, this is smack DAB during Val's nap time #2, so when I walked in and saw a crowded waiting room of older people (elderly) I looked at my "pent up from a day in the K classroom" elder daughter, and my "has not napped today" 17 month old and thought..."These older people are going to TAKE ME OUT."

We sat down, and Val started to get restless. I did NOT want her on the floor (germs!) and she did NOT want her stroller, so I put her in a chair like her big sister. To keep her there, I sent Lovely for waiting room magazines. Lovely came back with 2 of them, gave the smaller one to Val, and to my astonishment...for the next TWENTY minute wait, BOTH girls flipped through their magazines contented, interested, QUIET.

I sat in my chair with a mixture of "I can finally rest my body and catch my breath" and PRIDE as I met the impressed glances of 80 year old women giving me approving nods at my obviously amazing parenting skills my angelic young daughters were expertly exemplifying. My daughters were not being "those" kids one sees in waiting rooms, store lines, etc being whiny, hyper, and fidgety. My daughters are always this good because "I SO Rock!" with my consistent parenting. Also, I'm pregnant expecting yet another example of parenting perfection!! I was enjoying my moment in the affirmation spotlight.

They finally called my name, and I gathered our things to go to the examining room (no doubt to wait a bit longer). Lovely asked if she could take her magazine. I said "sure", and we went in. As we waited in the tiny room - I go to give the girls back their magazines when I see that Lovely's magazine was an old Cozmo Swimsuit edition and Val's magazine was Soap Opera Weekly. Their pages of airbrushed girls , with "barely there" swimsuits or clothes popping off every page, ad, and story, captured my girls' attention.

Yes.....I....uh..what was I saying again?.........."I so Rock??"

So yes, while I thought my attempts at being a consistent parent in teaching my girls good manners were paying off while looking good to the masses, my daughters were actually distracted by 'quality' literature with an added dose of body image stripping. AHEM.

Again..."I SO Rock!" NOT!!!!

Does it count I can laugh about it...somewhat....ok...a lot? :)

What a DAY.

I still Rock ;)

Loved NEW MOON!

and - how refreshing...a movie that was clean, no cursing, and just plain fun! Go see it!! This book adaptation was better than the last one!!! LOVE THE TWILIGHT SAGA!! Can't wait for June 30th 2010's Eclipse. What a fun post baby birth outing :)

and now...back to our regular scheduled weekend....

Friday Five - New Moon Edition

So, it has been a while since I've done my weekly/weekend round up :) I miss it! So, here is my day and weekend in my list o' five!!


1. I'm going to see New Moon tonight!!! I'm beyond excited. It will be a great girls' escape for S and I, and I can't wait to join the hordes of Team Edward and Team Jacob. I love this series (GREAT books to READ) and I hear this movie is even better than Twilight. I'm soooooo excited - did I mention that?

2. Hubby is home today. He is taking a sick day, and it has been nice to all rest up together. Lovely is at school, so I'm about to go nap while he bonds with Valiant. Then he'll probably put her down for her nap, and we'll all nap together! Of course, I'll dream of New Moon.

3. I'm really excited to split a meal with S at New Moon tonight!!! The movie will be a feast for both the stomach and the imagination. I love we can eat WHILE watching the movie...too cool!

4. The weather is pretty outside. After the book fair we'll probably go play outside with the kids and let them run free before I have to tutor. This will be good - get the kids nice and tired so they go to sleep well for the Daddy while I go to NEW MOON!

5. My biggest question of the day? Will New Moon convert me to Team Jacob? Or will I stay loyal to Team Edward? Hmmmm. Tough.


So, did I mention I am excited about New Moon? hehe! Happy Weekend!!

Small Successes and Thankful Thursday - Unplugged Edition?

Unplugged meaning, are my sinuses actually unplugging? Hmmmm. LOL

1. Though I've felt rather poorly this week - I reached out and got some fab ideas. MANY thanks to all the ideas! Kris had some great ones to try regarding some new suggestions I had never tried (go here, here, and here) and dare I say they are working? Please? Maybe? If so, then SUCCESS!

2. Oh wait...#1 started out as a lead in for a actual success, so I'll restart: "Though I've felt rather poorly this week..." I have maintained the house (our home that was spotless and organized last week lol one SHORT week) so to not totally go messy this week while I've had no energy. Sadly, it isn't perfect, and a tad out of place - but nothing renewed energy after breakfast won't fix! Whew! At least it was not abandoned like in weeks past!

3. So far this week, I've managed to cook AND we've eaten leftovers too. This is a big deal around these "no energy" parts. Before, we were eating out too much (and the hips don't lie....). Now...to keep on walking...

Bonus 4th - I had an OB appt Monday, and I heard the baby's heartbeat for the 1st time!!!! So wonderful. The doctor was so funny - she said "Great heartbeat. Strong. Definitely a healthy baby - smart, athletic, generous, and always polite to its parents and never talking back, loving, and giving..." lol! I thought that was cute. But oh, that heartbeat....LOVE IT!!!

Thankful Thursday
This week I'm thankful for...

1. Great advice.
2. patient family and friends.
3. Book fairs and reading great new stories that open doors to the imagination with Lovely!
4. Hubby!
5. My girls.
6. My growing baby.
7. strong community.
8. MOM'S NIGHT IN!!!! What a blast!

Wordless Wednesday - "The View From Here" Edition

Bring it ON!

Ok - war is declared...on my NOSE.

I need all the tips and holistic procedures anyone can send me on sinus health. I have chronic sinus issues, that NORMALLY I can keep at bay using my beloved neti pot, steam (either in shower OR ever heard of getting a baby diaper, wetting it, then microwaving it a few seconds to put on face to both relieve pressure AND breathe steam? AWESOME idea!), and peppermint & eucalyptus.

It isn't working.

Pregnancy is aggravating my sinuses.

I had a sinus infection about a week ago. I had to take antibiotics for a week. I've been off them a week and all the signs are starting to return. There is still hope - hence my desire to attack this head on before drugs are needed. Seriously...I don't need antibiotics when preggo, and I don't want to develop resistance! I had all these issues (plus resistance) when pregnant with Valiant too. UGH!

Please send me help, ideas, and yes, prayers. I get really whiny when my sinuses act up. Who needs whiny?

Stuffily and Plugged,
Yours Truly

Lovely is a cake designer!!!

First off....HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the love of my life!! Hubby had a big b-day yesterday and while he was away at his 2nd church gig, Lovely wanted to do a cake for him all by herself! She designed it herself (she talked about it in the car for days), and did all of it herself! We were so impressed.

Check it out from start to finish:

She wanted 1/2 to be pink, and the other to be green like a field (with some red in it too??).



and of COURSE, pink icing! (Notice icing on mouth....)



Time for the field on top! (Yes, I did say "field")


Great job on the green!


Now, for the toppings. Nothing says HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY like a spider, lion in a cage, zebra and Sleeping Beauty. This is of COURSE why we needed a field of green....



Oh - and you know how in the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty her dress turns from blue to pink? Lovely thought the cake should too.....



She was so proud of herself. Again, notice icing on lips....



The cake, all done. Lovely waits for Daddy to return home.....


Now, it is near bedtime, but he is home. And LOVES his B-day dessert - all made by Lovely at every step! We LOVE YOU DADDY!! You are the best, and we owe you everything.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! We love you so much!!!

Small Successes and Thankful Thursday - "Get R Done" Edition

Well, despite being 13 weeks and 4 days along (I keep thinking I'm further along than I am, and I know I must be confusing people. I'm due May 11th, so what the heck am I?? lol) This week I put aside my tiredness to do something. While putting me first was most important, I've gotten SO behind, and it was affecting my mood. So this week I....

1. Caught up on all the laundry. WEEKS worth. That feels good!

2. I cleaned the house. Hubby helped too. I even decided that to move me along I would offer to host both my woman's church prayer group on Tuesday and a playdate on Friday. That should keep me on top of things till Saturday when we host Supper Club again. I just need some order...if I have peace, then I can nap again...and it is ALL about the naps right now!!!

3. While staying awake cleaning, I listened to great podcasts, and did some prayerful reflecting and reaching out to others about homeschooling. My one e-mail flowered into different women supporting each other - what a boost to my spirit and how nice to know I'm walking with others in purpose and faith! I think I will stick to my goal of home schooling 1st grade next fall for Lovely, while balancing Valiant and a new baby - even if I can't afford a MDO or 2 year old preK class for Val to attend so Lovely gets more of my undivided time. Any readers out there want to give me any advice on homeschooling with a toddler and newborn? Bring it on!

How is your week?

Thankful Thursday
I'm terribly thankful for....

1. My Woman's Prayer group - awesome!!!
2. My husband.
3. My girls!
4. My unborn baby - whom I think I can feel fluttering really low if I'm on my back and still (and full belly and bladder - am I crazy? Maybe it is the "3rd pregnancy" and knowing what to look for?)
5. My FRIENDS!
6. My family.
7. Veterans who have or currently protect us, and their families who also sacrifice. THANK YOU!

Have a GREAT day - you are WORTH it!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Thank You To our Veterans Edition

Thank you dad, for your service, and to all men and women, and their families. Thank you!!

Blessings vs Luck in 8 Steps - EDITED

Step 1) Go to evening Mass with the girls without Hubby (he was at the cathedral playing flute). The Archbishop was there for a special mass!

Step 2) Pick the Archbishop's communion line so the girls could get blessed by him.

Step 3) Let the girls go to the reception following Mass (close to bedtime hour of 7pm...I should have noted this)

Step 4) Maybe should not have loaded up the stroller with drinks.

Step 5) With me RIGHT there, & with buckles loose, Val stands up in stroller, then falls out in front of the parishioners in line for food, screaming, in slow motion, head first, dramatic, and with many stares from others and some scowls lol (an older lady comes up and says "had it been me, I would have broken a hip..." lol)

Step 6) After being told not to touch the now off balance stroller because Val was no longer in it, Lovely "influences" the stroller to tip over & drinks went everywhere and in everything (see #4) like in the diaper bag, camera case, etc. Mind you, this is in the SAME spot, and in front of the same people who saw Val fall out of the stroller with me right there minutes earlier. I'm looking like MOTHER of the YEAR!

Step 7) I'm losing my patience in front of others, girls are tired, hungry, and we cut our losses and head to McD's for a late dinner.

Step 8) Tough lesson that a BLESSING bestowed by the Archbishop does not equal GOOD LUCK lol!!! What an evening. hehe.

Important thing to add? I still feel so blessed!! Who needs luck? :) I just have to embrace the grace to handle every situation, a blessing never wears off, and never needs an adjective to describe it ("GOOD" vs "BAD" luck, but a blessing is always good!)

Awesome!

What's your favorite filling?

Please read this...

One of my new buds in this world also blogs, and she shared a paraphrased recap of a sermon/homily she heard at her mom's church at mass this past Sunday.

It really touched me. I wanted to put an excerpt here, and direct you to the whole thing. It spoke to me, almost like a calling in ways to be there for others. I know and love so many people, all in different walks of life, faith, struggles, strengths, beliefs, and I know God speaks to me through every person who touches my life. This spoke to me.

"He...pointed out that none of us believes it all or believes all of the time. Then he shared a story of a woman who had lost her son in a car crash. In her despair, she turned her back on her faith and questioned how an all-loving God could take her son in such a tragic, horrific way, especially since she had been so faithful. Father said we could react to her fallen faith in three ways. We could say she no longer belongs in church since she'd given up on God - clearly, an un-Christian and harsh way of responding to her sorrow. We could tell her she was facing only a temporary bout of depression and that everything would be fine. But this response was not appropriate either. Everything would not be fine - at least not for a long time. She had lost a child and would never be the same because of this great loss. Lastly, we could reach out to her, minister to her, and give her permission to grieve and to be angry. And in the absence of faith, we could believe for her.

We could believe for her.

It was a simple enough idea, what Father was saying (and he said it far more eloquently than I'm doing here). Yet, I'd never really thought about faith like that - how as a community of believers we could believe when others could not...Like a choir, Father said, together we can create beautiful music even if as individuals, it's impossible to hit every note every time. Thank goodness God did not design us to be soloists. When we get off-key, we have backup singers to keep the song in harmony..."

The big keystone for me? These next quoted thoughts, something I've been pondering since witnessing a very deep discussion on abortion go deep, cutting, cruel, and not what I think Jesus would have modeled or done, and something I'll share at a later entry - but these thoughts are worthy of reflection:

In answering the question on filling the gaps for someone: "How will I reveal His love to her? Not with what may seem like empty platitudes to her. Not with quoting Scripture. Not with heavy-handed lectures on why she should believe. Not with reason. Nor with passion. But with love. Simple acts of love that show her that God's love is not earned by our level of belief. It just is."

PLEASE go read the whole article!! Thank you Kate for sharing this message from last Sunday!

This week - Quietly fill in some gaps...you never know whose foundation you can support!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cool side note - someone mailed Kate this thought I wanted to share here from a movie:

"In response to and to further your observation that we can believe for others, we recently watched the swashbuckler 'The Count of Monte Cristo.' One of the lines in the movie was '...I no longer believe in God,' (due to Edmond Dantes' unjust incarceration), and the response was '...Aah, that doesn't matter, because he believes in you.' I thought that was worth pondering too."

God is SOOOO COOL!!!

Small Successes and Thankful Thursday - Addition Edition :)

Goooooooooooood morning!!!!!

Will this be the day I get back into reading and writing? :) I'd love to pop in more, but as I was telling a loved one - I follow many, but lately, have barely had time to touch! But, dear blog, how I love thee - tehe!

So, I am finding getting my groove back! I've gotten a lot more done this week, and hope - despite a sinus infection - my productivity goes up a few notches! Here's to hoping. So, let's see what's shakin' bacon!



1. Foremost, my biggest success of the last few weeks? Well - this precious thing:

Yes - it is what it looks like - a baby!!!! We've known for a few weeks, and we were waiting to make the BIG REVEAL when family and friends could be in one place at one time - and that ended up being on Halloween (I was pulling for sooner). Check it out here!! We had such fun with the costumes. I'm hitting 13 weeks today, but I'm still tired, sick, etc. I hope that passes soon and 2nd trimester energy hits me ASAP! We're beyond excited, and it was so fun sharing the news, especially at the costume party! Our due date is May 11, 2010. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers! I've enjoyed dropping hints here and there in e-mails to friends, or here, about our exciting addition! The constant nausea though, and tiredness (yay naps) made getting on here to write or read VERY hard. Hence why I had to stop and pull back. Hopefully that will change soon! I'm feeling somewhat better - still tired though.

2. We've managed to make time for some family moments. I was able to catch some of them on film here.

3. I caught up with my laundry!!! Now, I need to fold, but to get a comment from a close friend that the side of my house smelled good from my dryer vent was VERY satisfying - hehe!

So, what have you found rewarding this week?

Thankful Thursday
This week I'm most thankful for....

***MY SISTER!!!*****
1. being able to reveal our pregnancy!
2. carbs. That they settle my stomach (ignoring the scale though...lol!)
3. my sweet daughters - Lovely sharing her excitement at school, and Valiant just being herself.
4. Val adding a new word to her vocab: "uh oh!"
5. my Hubby, for putting up with me, my lack of energy, and my moods!
6. for my friends....they have been incredible, INCREDIBLE, this week. AMEN.
7. faith and grace.
8. love from above.
9. forgiveness.
10. immense blessings. They are there if you look carefully enough!

Much love, many hugs!


P.S. Can I just say how cute this is today?
I grew up with Sesame Street - Happy 40th Anniversary!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Fun in the Leaves Edition!

a thought struck me this week...

We've all heard:

"Blood is thicker than water."

Yet, what struck me is that water nourishes us and sustains us. We need it to survive.

I'm SO grateful for the water in my life. Thank you for flowing into my life, filling me up and nourishing me. I'm so blessed.