The Joys of Feeding...

Funny how when it comes to feeding time.......my sweet, dainty, clean little girl can go from this....

To this......in just a matter of minutes. And this happens nearly EVERY single meal. Needless to say, I'm doing lots of laundry.

Weekend Updates..

We sure had a nice weekend though it went too fast. During the day on Friday, some of our favorite friends came to visit...Vicky, A.J. and Zach. Having them here is always a treat. The boys play so well together which means me and Vicky get to sit around and talk (plus tend to the little ones). It is a nice mix of kid time and adult time.

Saturday, we spent the day with Coach and Flo which is always so nice. They are so near and dear to our hearts and we value our time with them.
Which then brings us to today, Sunday, which was quite an interesting day. It started off with our usual trip to Kroger which led us to discover that somehow (someone...and I'll give you a guess who) accidentally unplugged the extension cord to the deep freezer (thinking it was something else). Oh yes....pounds and pounds of meat and we nearly lost it all. It had all thawed but it was still cool. Luckily (and I guess I should say hopefully) we salvaged most of it by going ahead and cooking it and then refreezing what we cooked...which meant Brian cooked nearly 7 pounds of chicken, 10 pounds of pork, 4 tenderloins, and I cooked two roasts. We cooked and grilled for nearly 2 hours. It was something else. We have enough meat to feed an army. I suppose we were just lucky that we could save most of it.
Unfortunately, and I STRESS unfortunately, I lost nearly 80-90 bags of breast milk. Go ahead and gasp all you breastfeeding moms out there. When I saw the milk, I didn't know if I was going to be sick or just break down and cry. I had planned on weaning Abby in the next month or two and finishing up with what I had stored (nearly 3 months worth). I was so sad to toss bag after bag in the trash. I can hardly stand to even write about it. It makes me so sad. Oh well--life goes on.

A day in the life...

Goes something like this....

Since Will is the last to get up, we all go in his room once he wakes up.

The kids spend lots of time playing and just goofing around...

Abby spends most of her day doing this....watching her big brother.

or playing in her new corner of the room (which she loves).

Will spends his day playing any sport that can be played with a balloon (baseball, tennis, etc) or playing golf with his plastic set of clubs. And in his eyes, a perfect ending to a perfect day is time doing this...

Weekend of fun

I thought I would share some of my favorite pictures from the weekend. I think Brian had a great Father's Day with his dad and the fact that I cooked a mean pepper steak (my best yet) probably helped (you know men and food). Brian's birthday is Wednesday (Happy 32 hubby) so more fun times and pictures to come.

Special Thank You's

I am so joyful and content with my life. I am so lucky to be married to Brian and have the two most wonderful children. The past few years have been so very good. I spent many years feeling so very empty and alone and God has certainly turned my life around. I am so thankful to be where I'm at now. I have a great relationship with my husband, my parents, and many wonderful friendships. Life is good....God is good.
First, I just wanted to say thank you to Nicole for all the wonderful clothes you gave me. She did some major spring cleaning in her closet and passed down some unbelievable stuff. All in all, I walked away with 38 items of clothing (capri's, skirts, tops, pants, sweaters, and even a pair of shoes) that were in impeccable condition. Every single piece of clothing was either from J.Crew, the Gap, or Banana Republic. It was unbelievable. It is so exciting to go in to my closet and pick out something new to wear each day. Thank you, thank you, thank you Nicole.
2. Secondly, I want to thank Mark and Ashley for such a great afternoon (pictures to come). You guys are so dear and special to both me and Brian. We will miss you so very much as you head to the Carolina's. We love you guys.
3. Lastly, I am so thankful for my time in Lexington. The friendships I made there came at a time in my life when I needed them the most and I have been so fortunate to remain close friends with so many of them. You girls are the best. I am so thankful for all of you.

Scripture

Here is the bible verse that I have to memorize for this week.

James 3:17
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
If anything happens in my life, I am quick to pick up the phone. This scripture reminds me to quit talking and just listen. God speaks to us through scripture and the Holy Spirit but I will miss all that goodness if I don't train myself to listen. It's like having a treasure chest right in front of you and not even looking inside because you're too busy talking about all the sand that surrounds it.
One last thing from my bible study that I liked...If your thoughts don't concur with Scripture, they're not from the spirit--and they don't belong in your thought closet. You have two choices...act according to truth or react to your emotions. Which one will you chose?

As promised...Thomas

Looks like the boys had a great time. Will couldn't make his mind up about Sir Topham Hatt hence the puzzled look on his face (so funny). And I know I have said this before, but I think Brian is the absolute best dad. He is so patient, attentive, loving, and good with our children. It is really something to see. He was meant to be a father. We are so lucky.

Jam Packed

We've sure had a jam packed weekend. One that was filled with time in the car, time with family, and some time at home. A perfect mix. My brother got married on Saturday (see picture below) and it was such a nice wedding. Ashley, my new sister-in-law, is quite the wedding planner....a trait I didn't know she had until this weekend. However, I must give credit where credit is due and say that both of them (Ashley and Matt) had some pretty terrific help from family and friends. My mom made both Ashley's and Abby's dress and helped with the food as well. I think she did a great job.

Will and Brian went to see Thomas the Train today and evidently had a big time. They have yet to arrive but I have already heard about it. I can't wait to see the pictures and post a few of them on my blog. While they've been gone, I have been a cleaning machine. I've done 3 loads of laundry (folded and put away), started and emptied the dishwasher, organized Will's toys, ironed for an hour, mopped, vacuumed, dusted, cleaned our bathroom, scrubbed the shower, and once Abby wakes up......off to the grocery. I am feeling a bit like supermom....and a little tired.

Sniffles

Unfortunately, I don't have any good pictures of the weekend adventures because none of them happened. By Saturday, Will felt pretty miserable with fever, congestion, and a runny nose. After a trip to the dr. yesterday, I was assured that his ears and throat look fine and it is just a viral infection. Poor guy....he has felt pretty bad the past few days but is finally turning a corner. I have seen definite improvement the past two days. I sure hope Abby steers clear of all the yuckiness. She sounds a little more congested today but it could be tooth realted. With my brother's wedding on Saturday and a rescheduled Thomas the Train ride on Sunday, I am praying for a healthy family.
I have really been enjoying my new bible study and getting so much out of it. The bible verse we memorized last week, Psalm 19:14...May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight O Lord, my rock and my redeemer, is such a wonderful verse because it has helped me to really think about the thoughts I think and the words I speak. I never realized how many of them would be displeasing to God. It is tough after 6 months of little sleep and a very demanding baby to be at your best, but I know I am capable of better. I deeply desire to be more Christ like for myself, my family, and friends yet I battle my flesh everyday. A struggle I suppose for most Christians. Thank you Lord for second, third, fourth.....chances.

Weekly Wrap-Up

The week has gone by fast thus not much news to report. With Brian being home with us for two days (recovery time), we mainly stayed around the house this week. We did, however, manage to sneak in a trip to PetSmart (to look at the animals which both kids thoroughly enjoyed), attend bible study on Thursday, and run a few errands here and there. The big fun won't happen until this weekend....Thomas!!! Brian, Will and Big Jul are going to ride on Thomas at the Kentucky Railway Museum. Will is so excited he can hardly stand it. Funny though...for some reason every time he mentions going to see Thomas...he also mentions eating hot dogs???? I hope they serve hot dogs there. Funny the things they get in their heads. I hope to post some pictures of their big outing.
Other than that, Abby is still fighting through her cold and Will is working on one now as well. I have witnessed first hand how one kid can so easily pass their yucky stuff to the other. Let's hope it isn't a foreshadowing of this upcoming winter when the yucky stuff really hits. Oh and I forgot to mention...Abby now has her first tooth. I will take a picture of her one tooth smile when it becomes a bit more noticeable.