Looking too old!

I tried very hard to get a good picture of the two together and failed miserably.  I started thinking it was because I'm their mom and no kids sit still and smile for their mom. . . right?  Well, I took them to a studio. . . . yes I know that's not like me, but I was desperate and I had a coupon.  So I thought the worst that would happen would be I'd be out 8 bucks.  Jack and Elaina were in a great mood and they got us right in.  Well, their was this awesome photographer "in action" when we walked in.  She was so sweet and child friendly.  She went a little overboard with all the sounds and cheesy motions but hey. . . it got the kids that she was photographing smiling.  I thought this was going to be great, but of course she told the other lady that was working she needed a break when it was our turn.  So we got the grumpy, not friendly, in a hurry lady, and the second Jack saw she needed his attention he flipped out!  I mean. .  . it was like he saw a scary monster or something.  The lady was cute just not the kid friendly type.  It took Jack 15 minutes to warm up and trust her and by then Elaina was acting wild and crazy.  She wouldn't sit still or do anything the lady asked.  And to top it off the photographer kept saying, "you need to stop and listen." It was just weird hearing a photographer try and get a kid to smile by telling them they weren't listening.  I thought at that point Elaina would start crying or act shy, but no she continued on her crazy streak.   J.J and I were both so frustrated and ready to pull our hair out by the end.  After 42 pictures only 4 turned out cute.  I wanted them black and white and they told me the coupon didn't work for black and white. Are you Kidding me!?  Please remind me to never go to a studio again.  I'm starting to think it might be worth paying the $150 for one of the on location photographers to take their pictures. . . Ne. . . I'm not that desperate yet, but if anyone knows someone that does that for a great price let me know.        

You could win a Christmas CD

Check out my blog list on the right, and click on the Happily Home blog for your chance to win an amazing Christmas CD.  My friend Angie is the artist and what a beautiful voice she has!

Candy Beware!

I have been on a new diet for about 5 months now and I hope my heart is telling a difference.  The main difference I made in my diet was taking out partially and hydrogenated oil of any kind.  You see the FDA allows companies to put ZERO grams of trans fat per serving on the box as long as each serving is less than .5% Well that's all fine and dandy if you are only going to eat one serving per day and that's it.  I have found that if the box says: ZERO GRAMS OF TRANS FAT period and that's it than it is true but if the box throws in the "PER SERVING" after it than watch out.  Well, since candy if one of my weak areas I thought I would help some of you out.  The ones who are jumping on this band wagon anyway.  I'm going to list the candy that I have found with NO partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oil in them.  Believe it or not there are some out there.  

Reese's Cups (the original not any of the newer Reese's candy like the crunch or pieces etc)

Kit Kat

Plain M&Ms (most others are not good sorry peanut butter M&M lovers)

York peppermint patties

Hershey Kisses (the original)

100 Grand

Milk Chocolate Ghirardelli

Life Savers hard candy

I'm still doing some research so I'll list more soon

Here are a few to STAY AWAY FROM!

Skittles (I know. . . I can't believe it either)

Starbursts

tootsie rolls

Tootsie Pops

Baby Ruth

Heath Toffee Bar

Chewy Sweetarts

The best thing for you to do is take a second to flip over to the list of ingredients and look for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil.  If it has it than you know your body is getting trans fat which have been proven to cause heart disease.  That nasty stuff stays in your body for 51 days too.   

 

Virginia Creeper

We had the lovely opportunity to join a group of friends from church last weekend and do the Virginia creeper. When we were first asked to go I wasn't quite sure. I heard 17 miles and I knew it wasn't for me. After all, I wouldn't consider my self the "biker" type. But, when I heard "down hill" I said, "well count me in on this one!" The scenery was astounding and the weather was perfect. We stopped about 4 or 5 miles into the trail for some lunch and visited the old train station they have there at the rest stop. It was set up like a little museum. Very neat! Then we were off again to coast down hill about 12 more miles. Never once did the thought of me wrecking cross my mind, but it happened. I don't exactly know how, but it wasn't pretty . . . no matter what people may say. At least I didn't hit my head. I do remember purposely holding my head up high as I was falling so I would "hopefully" keep from hitting it. After a few minutes I was ready to ride again, but sweet Kelly traded bikes with me so I could reach the ground better. I blame my wreck on me not being able to reach the ground on my bike. My tip toes barely touch the ground when I sit on the bike. It's pretty sad I know. My wreck has nothing to do with me not riding it in about 3 years and not having good balance. . . no . . . not at all ;) So Santa better put some biker gloves in my stocking this year. . . and elbow pads, knee pads, a helmet, oh what the heck he better throw in a face mask while he's there too.
But on a serious note. . . I am very lucky that I didn't get more hurt than I did. I hope I have learned my lesson. I guess I'll find out next year because I do want to do it again minus the wreck of course. It was truly fun and I can't wait! Here are a few pics. The one of the dirt is in memory of my fall. LOL!

This made me laugh

I don't know if this story will be as funny in writing, but I found it quite hysterical just a moment ago. Elaina was doing her usual pee pee dance so I asked her if she had to go to the restroom and she said, "umm, yeah." Then she starts to hold the back end too. :) She says that she has to do both. We make it to the potty and as soon as she finishes her first job she says, "pee. . . check" (like she's checking it off her list of things to do) then she finishes her second job and says, "poopie. . . check." I'm not sure where she got this, but it made me laugh. I hope it made you laugh too.

Baby Jack is 1

It has been an amazing year!! It has gone fast . . . with the occasional slow periods, but I've enjoyed the ride more than you could imagine.
Random thoughts about Jack:
He seems to be on accelerator mode with learning new things right now. He can say several new words and has recently started more baby signs. For the past few weeks he has been saying what sounds like "nneighna" and it turns out he says it every time he sees Elaina. I would have never thought he would say Elaina before "ball" or "dog" or some other one syllable word, but he did and it is super sweet. He also started saying ball the day before his birthday.
He extremely dislikes getting dressed and having his diaper changed. It has to be the biggest struggle I have with him. I've thought several times, "I wonder what people would think if Jack only had a diaper on every time they saw him?" Honestly, I've thought it. So if you see him with only a diaper on I've most likely given up!
He loves to eat Anything, (except baby food). You name it he probably has eaten or at least tried to eat it. Paper, shoes, boxes, socks, books, furniture, and the occasional cheerio that he's found laying on the floor. :) Please don't turn me in!
Today at the doctor he weighed just over 20 pounds. He is still below average in height and weight but he doesn't seem it to me.
Here are a couple pictures from the week he was born and his first birthday. I hope you enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

More tiny Steps

Please excuse the terrible video, but hey . . . I at least caught it on tape this time. You might want to mute it. The ladies voice in the background is crazy annoying :) :)

First Steps

So, to my surprise, when I picked Jack up Monday I was told he walked from the coffee table to the couch. It was very hard for me to believe this because Jack hadn't even walked using a push walker yet. Well one or two steps but not truly walking. It was only about 2 or 3 steps from the coffee table to the couch but still I found it hard to believe. So when I get home I stand him up and he stands there by himself for about 5 seconds (4 seconds longer than I'd ever seen him do before), smiles really big, takes two wobbly steps and falls into my arms laughing. J.J said he noticed Jack standing by himself for a few seconds over the weekend, but I never really got to see it much. It was like Jack would only do it when I wasn't looking. ;) I really don't think Jack realized he had let go though. Anyway, he took the two steps and of course I didn't have the video camera b/c I honestly didn't think he would do it. When I tried to video it he wouldn't do it, but I did get some fun footage of him zooming around with the push toy which I had never seen him do before Monday. I hope you enjoy. Push pause on the music before you start. Elaina was fighting for attention so try to tune her out :)

What, School Monday!?

Yes school is back in session as of Monday the 17th. I got to meet my students today. Well, most of them. I have to admit I am excited and they all seemed super sweet. God always reveals amazing things each year, so I'm pumped to see what he's up to this year. Not only did the kids seem sweet but the parents seemed great as well. One girl in particular, bless her, wanted to play with my filing cabinet and I told her it was for the teacher only and to stick the key back in the slot and that would be fine. Well, she stuck it back in the slot just not the key hole slot that I was talking about. She stuck it in the slot between the drawers so now the filing cabinet is locked with the key inside :) Ooops! Oh Well. I don't have a back up as I didn't foresee this happening, but I'm sure I'll figure out a way to break into it. The mom felt horrible, but we both just laughed it off. That was the most interesting one, and how much do you want to bet she'll end up being one of my favorites. No I'm serious! She probably will. I'll be letting you know how the first week goes.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What a sweet, amazing blessing! We just enjoyed the best time together at Myrtle Beach The kids had a great, memorable time, and J.J and I completely enjoyed being away from Knoxville for a little while. Elaina Loved (and that would be an under-statement) the trip. She spent most of her free time in the large baby pool. She has become quite the swimmer. She did incredible in the car to and from. Thank you God for giving the wisdom to whoever invented the portable DVD players. She was in movie "heaven." Jack, on the other hand, :) didn't do as good. Why is it when you leave close to bedtime you don't get any sleepers and when you leave in the morning you get. . . sleepers? Let me explain. We thought it would be good to get a jump start on the traveling on Saturday evening close to their bedtime so maybe they would fall asleep and we could drive 3 or4 hours while they were sleeping. They didn't sleep at all! We stopped to sleep somewhere for the night and got up early the next morning to finish our drive. What did they do an hour into the drive? Fall asleep! It was only for 45 minutes but still. Another ironic thing is I wasn't tired driving at night either, but in the morning I had to fight to keep my eyes open. Why is this? Anyway, the trip felt short but we are so thankful that God allowed us this amazing opportunity. Around the first of July I started feeling a bit anxious b/c my summer was quickly coming to an end and I didn't feel like I had had much of a vacation. We hadn't done much as a family at all and that's always what I get so excited about for summer. Well since I took so much time (wonderful time) off for family leave after Jack, we just didn't have much in savings. I didn't want to share my disappointment with J.J right away because I didn't want him to feel bad or like he wasn't providing. Well I started praying for God to show opportunities and give me wisdom. I felt silly at first praying for a break and a time away, but I truly needed it. So, J.J came home the next week telling me about how he searched and searched placed to go for a short vacation and how there were strings he could pull to make it happen. I was tickled. It was so sweet hearing others excited for us too. We are truly blessed beyond measure! Lastly, God has spoken wonderful things to me through the book Shepherding a Child's Heart which I had time to finish during the trip. :) another God thing! I was recommended this book by a precious friend of mine and I am now wanting the world to read it. I can't say enough about this book. God has called us to do very specific things in regards to raising his children, and this book makes it easy to understand that raising a child isn't all about what our culture has made it. . . being positive all the time. . . not spanking. . . .making sure they feel good about themselves. . . telling them they need a good education so they can make lots of "MONEY" . . . .etc. Behavior comes from the heart. Proverbs 4:23 states it like this, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." In other words, if we aren't dealing with the heart of our children then it is hard for them to know and understand who God is and why he sent his son. Reading this book parallelled with the Bible, has taught me so much about my own heart and God has graciously revealed many mistakes I have been making as a parent. I am so thankful my children are still so young. But it also talks about what to do if your children are older. It is a "must read!"

Scroll down and pause music to the right before playing

This couple's son recently passed from drowning, and this video reveals the strength only the Lord can provide. It spoke to me in an amazing way, I pray it does the same for you.


If you have time, check out his other videos too. He has a lot of good things to share about God's love.

Firefly Fun

We didn't have power for quite a while tonight so we let Elaina stay up later than usual and before she laid down to bed we went out back to visit the fireflies. We must have hundreds of them just in our backyard and the couple that back up to ours. It is so beautiful watching them flicker all over the place. Elaina thought it was so cool. She didn't care catching them either. There are so many, all you have to do is slowly move your hand around for a few seconds and before you know it. . . one's landed right on your hand. It was such a sweet time. I'm going to have to let her stay up later more often this summer. Her little voice saying, "fireflies are so nice mom, they like me mom, I like them too." is just so sweet. Oh the simple things that bring so much joy!

exhausting weekend

I finally saved up enough money to buy a play set for Elaina and Jack. Elaina loves to climb, slide, swing, and be outside. We aren't 100% finished building it yet, but very close. I'd say 95% finished. We either lost a bolt or it was missing, so we have one bolt to attach to a bottom support piece and then stake it to the ground. J.J worked so hard putting it together. I wish I could have helped more than I did, but I had to also take care of Elaina and Jack too. We probably would have finished a couple hours earlier, but it took about 13 hours. We started Saturday late afternoon and worked until dark and then again mid-afternoon on Sunday til dark. Long and exhausting is all I have to say. I can't wait to hear what comes out of Elaina's mouth tomorrow when she sees it and actually gets to play on it.

Oh There You Are!

So I tried to do something productive today and clean out my car.  I wish I could say I am a neat and tidy person, but I'm creative and "they" say creative people aren't neat and tidy.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.  So anyway, I thought I'd gain a few laughs by letting you know a few of the items I found during the clean out.  Here goes. . . 

*4 plastic bowls

*3 plastic cups

*2 bottle lids

*4 pairs of Elaina's shoes (granted these were the uncomfortable ones that she "obviously" didn't wear much.)

*4 winter hats

*a pair of gloves

*one of Jack's jackets, one of my jackets, and two of Elaina's jackets

* four random socks of Elaina's without their match (What!?)

*5 toy balls

*etc. . . etc. . . etc

I collected two wal-mart bags of trash,  one target bag of toys, and one target bag of dishes and clothing items: (all were busting at the seams might I add)

Not to mention that a hungry person could have at least eaten enough crumbs to get by for a few hours.  

Wow!  I am a slob. . .a filthy. . . disgusting. . . SLOB!

:) I'll let you know what I end up finding next year at my "annual" car cleaning :0 lol

Ouch!

Yesterday Jack fell out of his crib.  I should have moved his mattress down sooner, but he just started pulling up to standing the other day so I thought I had at least a day or two. Well, I thought wrong.  Fortunately, he is fine.  J.J and I felt horrible!  Needless to say, J.J moved his mattress down to the very bottom notch right away.  Jack is so funny how he just starts doing stuff. . . I mean he doesn't really give us much warning.  He went from barely ever rolling over to pushing himself up, to sitting on his own, to rocking on his hands and knees for a day and then crawling three or four crawls, then pulling to his knees the very next day.  It all just started happening so fast.  I thought I was going to be lucky and not have to worry about him moving everywhere for awhile. . . Wrong!  Well I at least got 9 months of not much moving :)