The Solstads

Hi, My name is Courtney...

2011-03-24T07:03:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've updated this baby! I just went thru a crazy busy season in my life with a more then full time job, amongst everything else. That season has come to an end and I am freeing up more time for the Steve, the girls, friends, and myself! I have slept better the last two nights then I have in a year and a half. I loved what I was doing, but felt it had gotten to an unhealthy level of stress.

I am so thankful to have loving support from my friends and family. Thanks to all who have endured my endless hours working, constant email checking, and my "just one more, then we can go" lifestyle. I won't lie, I won't bounce back to normal quickly...it's a way of life that I have lived for 1.5 yrs! I've had an incredible journey and have learned soooo much!

So what's next for me? At this point, I am really not sure. I want to take things slow and enjoy being a wife and mom again! I want to play with my girls and plan date nights for Steve and I again! I want to shop until I drop (with coupons of course) in the middle of the day just because I can. I want to help out friends when they need me, and I want to allow God to direct what the future holds.

So look for more updates here! I will be adding pictures and updates about the girls soon! They are such a joy and I am so thankful that God has cleared away the fog of work so that I can enjoy them more!

Way too long...

2010-05-16T14:16:00.001-07:00

It has been way too long since my last post. Life has been moving and going so fast, the winds of it all are keeping me in the right direction. I have been all over the map physically and emotionally. Two very very dear people in my life have gone to be with the Lord and that has not come without a flood of emotions. The emotions range from joy of two lives well lived in service to the Lord, to sorrow from personally losing two mentors. 72+ years of marriage says a lot about two people. The commitment, the love, the persistence, and the grace that was between them has only been a testimony of their relationship with the Lord Almighty. They led our family thru trying times with the word of God. I am going to miss the long winded prayers of my great grandfather and the sassy comments of my great grandmother more as the year progresses. It has been a joy and honor to have GREAT grandparents. I am stronger, wiser, and live life more to the fullest because of them. They have bonded a family together with their legacy of love.

Vote for Steve!

2010-02-22T22:46:00.001-08:00

Celebrate Your Man's Unsung Moments

Sponsored by Dove

A tribute to Deedee

2010-02-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

My Girls and their latest greatest FUN!

2010-02-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

I love my girls!

2010-02-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

My girls are continuing to be a barrel of laughter and fun! I can't wait to put up a post about all of their new fun moments! I plan to do so soon! So Stay tooned!

Emma...she's going to get me good for this later!

2010-01-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

Love my Emma!

2010-01-07T20:13:00.001-08:00

Emma is a barrel full of randomness! I love that girl! She has her own way of doing stuff and could care less to learn my way, or anyone elses for that matter! She is a burst of sun in an otherwise dim room! She floats on a cloud, well falls off of it often. She is such a sweet little angel! She has her daddy wrapped around her finger, and knows how to get her way. She won't make eye contact when she is in trouble. She likes to surprise us, when it's her idea. She takes shoes off in the van every trip and sheds her coat at the door. She goes right in and takes a nap when asked to. She is rarely found wearing regular clothes, almost always in dress up stuff. She is my mess maker, my not so sneaky one. She puts herself in the corner and gags at the thought of eating veggies. She always puts her shoes on the wrong feet and likes to paint the table with her yogart. She makes a strange snorting sound when she sucks her thumb. She gives the best hugs! She is perfect and she is THREE!!! or as she says "I FREE" Yes, sweet Emma, you are free....free spirited! I love you more and more each day and I pray that you NEVER lose that spunk that makes you, you! Happy 3rd Birthday, Sweet girl!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T18:31:00.000-08:00

I have got to say how thankful I am that this is a new year! 2009 was a very stress filled year for many reasons! I am opting to leave 2009 in the past where it belongs! I did however, want to give a few updates and share a few lessons learned along the way!
In Jan 09, we celebrated Emma turning 2! I learned I could bare a load much larger then I ever thought possible.
In Feb 09, we celebrated Steve's job promotion and enjoyed a much needed week get away to visit from friends in TN.
In March 09, we celebrated Chloe turning 4.
In April 09, I was chosen to host an American Idol Finale party thru Houseparty.com! I learned that forgiveness is much harder for some then others, but was thankful for God's grace to me.
In May 09, I won a 2010 Ford Fusion, and a trip for 2 to the American Idol finale in Hollywood!
In June 09, Steve resigned his job at the church. I learned that true friends are few and far between and that under stressful circumstances, most people don't know what to say/do.
In July 09, we traveled quite a bit. We enjoyed lots of family time and got an offer on our house!
In August 09, we celebrated Maci turning 1! We vacationed yet again, but this time with friends! Steve and I traveled with Maci to Dallas and found a nice house! I learned that God allows us to know what we NEED to know WHEN we need to know it. Some act out of guilt and can't forgive themselves, so they take it out on others.
In Sept 09, we closed on our house and moved to Dallas. I got Chloe enrolled in preschool and found a MOPS group.
In Oct 09, Maci started therapy, both physical and occupational. Jamie, Nanny and Pappy came to visit.
In Nov 09, I celebrated my 30th birthday. Steve surprised me by flying Christie up for the weekend. A week or so later, 4 other girlfriends flew up for a girls weekend! Emma decided that she was ready to be potty trained and is now FULLY potty trained, day and night! I was asked to join a team of gals in posting on MyDFWMommy.com blog and started! Last but not least, Steve turned 32...
In Dec 09, we have enjoyed a lot of time with family and friends! We traveled to St. Louis for Christmas, then to Oklahoma for New Years. I learned that it is easy to fall into a black hole at the holidays if I let myself. I have thought more this year about what my girls think Christmas is all about then any other year. I have found a new respect for a friend who was strengthened by a tragedy, and now hold my girls a little tighter.

So what will be different in 2010? I am going to try to blog about my coupon savings. I have wondered the past few years just how much I have saved each year by using coupons. This year I am going to track it and actually know! I will be tracking monthly and will try to update on here! To date, I have saved $39.15. I am going to make every effort to drink V8 each day, as my body needs it...since I am not a huge veggie eater. I am going to attempt to send 10 minutes with each of my girls (exclusive for each child) a day. I know that doesn't sound like much...but it's so hard to get one on one time without interuptions. And of course, there is always the goal to be thin in 2010. I am contemplating joining the YMCA...my girls will love the play time and I think I would enjoy the "me" time! I also want to read 6 more books this year. I had that goal last year, and accomplished it. I would also like to spend more time teaching my kids how to fish instead of just giving them fish. I have started with "whatever is not picked up before you go to bed gets trashed!" Is that too harsh? They are almost 3 and 5. Chloe gets it for sure! I'll be updating with pictures in the near future!

Happy New Years to you and your family! If you aren't already reading mydfwmommy.com blog, you should...it's saved me tons and I really enjoy posting on it!

Christmas fun!

2009-12-19T12:40:00.000-08:00

I thought that I would post a few picts of the girls opening their Christmas presents and another video of Maci's big accomplishments!

New Maci video!!!

2009-12-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentalmen, you are about to witness the next "So you think you can Dance" contestant

2009-12-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

The proposal

2009-11-18T20:48:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

I am one proud Mommy!

2009-11-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

These past few weeks have FLOWN by! Maci has been in therapy for the past month or so and has really made some great progress! I thought it might be fun to add some video's of her on here so you can see and enjoy her progress too!

This one is from Aug and shows her scooting.

This one is from early October and she had just learned to push to a sitting position.

Maci tempting a crawl...so cute! This was towards the end of Oct.

This is one from last week...she just learned to go from a sitting down position to a standing up...this is an exercise to strengthen her leg muscles.

Here she is tonight...pulling up into a stand...so sweet!

And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free...

2009-10-08T06:26:00.001-07:00

The truth is found in the Light of God's love and who HE is, nothing else. These past few months have been extremely emotional and a time that God has used to reveal more of Himself to me. Actually, this whole year has been a growth filled one. In June, when everything happened, I desired for people (God's people) to reach out and love us thru everything. Some did, more didn't. I have thought back about how everything played out those first few weeks. The shock, the pain, the regret, and even the growth that came from it all. I have thought about how I might blog about the untruths that were spoken and the additional pain that came from those, or the people that I thought would show up in a big way, but didn't. God has moved my heart beyond all of that. I can not focus on the past and the things that I wish I could have changed. Or even on the future as we are not promised tomorrow. I must focus on today, right now, the moment in time God has given me. I have come to realize that there are no perfect people out there...only people pretending to be. NO ONE has it all figured out...no one I know walks on water. When we pretend to be perfect, we only hurt ourselves and others. We rob God of the opportunity to use our hurt and pain to strengthen others. This was a moment in time that God used to strengthen us. We were strengthen by the unexpected people who walked with us closely and we were strengthened by the ones who wanted to hurt us the most. God showed us that we MUST stand firm in HIM and no one else. He is our strength, our refuge. We are not perfect people, but are made perfect by our creator. We believe and have more compassion for others now as we think on Jesus' words "You who are without sin, cast the first stone." Is anyone without sin? God has given us a new lens to see thru, and we are thankful for that. We know that it is only by His unchanging grace that we breathe.
The break from ministry has been a blessing for our family. We have three small children and this has allowed us to focus on planting His love and grace in them. We have been able to worship together, Steve and I. Arm in arm, hand in hand. We still feel called by God to serve and fulfill His great commission. We will continue to seek the ways in which He would have us do that. We feel more balanced in our time at church, with the girls, and with each other. We have set healthy boundaries for when, how much, and how often we will sign up for stuff. We don't want to be so busy that we miss out on life. When we go back into full time ministry, we are thankful that we have walked more with our fellow believers side by side and struggled with them thru lifes trials...it has all made us less plastic and more real to be used and truly understand. We thank God for that.
These past two weeks have been extra hard for me, personally. I have fought in my mind for years the possibilities of the inevitable. My great grandma was put into the nursing home. Her Alzheimer's has gotten worse. Deedee has always been a big part of my life. She isn't perfect, again who is? She has loved and checked in on me my whole life. I hurt for her as she is in a new place with no one she really knows. I actually sympathize with her on that one. I hurt for my great grandpa who is without her for the first time in 73 years. They have been married for so long that I worry how they will survive without each other. I am thankful that she has God's word and truth and reads it. I am thankful that she was put there out of love and concern. I am thankful that I know she knows I love her and that she knows who I am (as of now.)
Today marks 12 years since I lost my mother to a car accident. Sometimes it feels like a tiny moment in time, sometimes it feels like forever, sometimes it feels like yesterday. I miss her and I think about her and wonder if she would have been head over heels in love with my little princess's? With that being said, I will leave you with this...forgive mistakes, embrace those you love and put your faith in Christ alone...people will let you down. Live for today and like there is no tomorrow. Stop trying to be everything to all people and to be perfect...it isn't possible. Love people thru the good and bad. Stand up for what is right, no matter the cost. Pray for the people who don't like you, it will change your heart for them. And remember the bad times are only a moment in time, they do not define your future. And as a friend told me...let this make you better, not bitter.

My little artists

2009-10-04T09:25:00.001-07:00

While Chloe was busy making her master piece, so was Emma....enough said!

I am SOOOO Not a fan of Walmart...

2009-10-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Walmart is NOT my favorite store by far, but I forced myself to go this week... I was quickly reminded why I am not a Walmart fan. It was raining, and I had to make a return...I had Maci and Emma and the return to get inside. I had a huge box (a baby walker) in one hand, Maci in the other, and Emma walking beside me...all while trying to manage an umbrella, my purse, and a diaper bag. TWO employees saw me trying to juggle it all and neither offered to help. Once inside the store, I had to stand in line behind 4 others who were waiting for their turn at the customer service desk. Two people were working in Customer Service, while another two were standing around chatting, messing with cell phones, and drinking soda. Anyone want to join me in my ranting about poor customer service at that place? Misery loves company! :o)

Special message for Grandpa!

2009-09-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

The old house, the move, and the new...

2009-09-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

It was bitter sweet leaving our house in Ballwin. So many great memories there...it's where we brought our girls home from the hospital...the only house they knew! It was where we found many unexpected blessings of friendship and wisdom. It was such a cute cozy little house, perfect for the family that is just starting out. Steve and I bought and moved into that house in March of 2004, found out we were expecting June 2004, had Chloe March 2005, found out we were expecting April 2006, had Emma Jan. 2007, found out we were expecting Nov. 2007, had Maci Aug 2008...and sound our house July 2009. So quickly time flew by... we miss the squeaks in the floor, the large storage area in the basement, but most of the all the friends who visited us when we lived in it!

The move was pretty uneventful...we lost a few things (they got broken) to the trash, overall less then $100 worth, so that was good. We were so blessed to have so much help in loading the truck and also unloading! Friends showed up and surprised us in the sweetest ways...some with parting gifts, some with tear filled eyes...some with enough food to feed a small army for each of us...some with words of wisdom, and some with broken hearts. I have never felt so loved by people who only knew us for a short 5 and a half years. It was humbling and we felt so honored. If you were one of those who helped us out in the last days in MO or in the first days in TX, a million times thank you! You have blessed our family.

The new house is awesome! We love the extra space...the girls love their room and having a big walk in closet! The park and pool are less then a block away and they love to go there! I love the extra space....but extra space means extra cleaning! Main floor laundry is the best part about this house! Those of you in STL with basements know what I am talking about! We have been here a few weeks and have gotten settled into a routine. Chloe goes to Preschool everyday from 12-3. The other two nap during that time...it's my time to get dinner going or do a little cleaning. We aren't eating out anymore, which is a HUGE lifestyle change, but it's so much more cost efficent to make meals and I am learning to just double what I make and freeze one for those days when I don't really want to cook. We go to MOPS every other Friday and are enjoying that. We have found a church that we enjoy and are seeking God's will for where we should serve. Steve has an awesome work schedule: Monday 8-4, Tue-Thurs 8-6, Friday 8-12 and weekends off! We are enjoying getting to know the area and all of thrills of a southern lifestyle! There are about 3 Targets within 8 miles of my house...that's been fun...although I do NOT like that they are giving me headaches about coupons these days! There are a million Walmarts, but as you know, I do NOT like going there and try to avoid it at all costs.

As for how things are for us, emotionally...we miss our friends! My girls miss their playmates and playdates. We all miss Nanny and Pappy. I miss MOPS, Bunco, and my girls Night outs. So many good memories....they aren't in St. Louis...they are in our hearts. Thank you for being used by God to touch our lives. I read this yesterday..."God brings people into your life for a reason, some to strengthen you, some to love you, some to be loved by you, some to teach you patience and forgiveness, some to teach you self control, some to teach you compassion, and some to bring you joy"

New castle for our princesses!

2009-09-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

Thought I would at least post a few picts of the new place on here...will actually blog about what is going on in our little family soon! Enjoy the picts!

2009 maci bday

2009-08-24T20:54:00.001-07:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Moving day is coming!

2009-08-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

Steve and I are here in Texas and are getting all of our ducks in a row to gear up for the big move! We have secured our house and are very excited about the subdivision and meeting new friends! I have added a few picts of the house and neighborhood so you can see! My girls are going to LOVE this area!

Friendships

2009-08-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, so many thoughts flood my mind when I think about friendships. From the first friend I can remember to the most recent...all have played a role in helping me discover who I am in Christ today. Some early friendships with Lacy and Krisa have brought back great memories. We were so young and crazy! We had fun and thought that going to Fall's Creek, eating pizza and watching movies was the life! Skating all afternoon, Lacy and I tripped and fell a lot...and laughed thru it all. Krisa and I spent many an afternoon riding the scooter across the highway...and lied to Deedee about it. Shame on us. 14 and no sense in the world. Then there was a crazy road trip when I was 16...not going to talk about that one...just thanking God that He kept Kris and I safe that day! How about the friendship of Charla in college? She was there for me when my mom died and when I almost lost my brother! Then came Rachel, Brandy, Gina, Mic, Fawn, Sylvia...lots of great friendships with godly women! After becoming a newly wed and moving, God led others into friendship with me! Heather was one of the first! What a blessing she is and was at that time in our lives. Jessi was right there with her. That was a laughter filled friendship and still is! Jessi was the first among my peers to get pregnant...and unexpectantly. She fell madly in love with her little man and I grew more and more excited about motherhood in my future. Then there was Kari, Ashley, Beth, and Erica...who were there thru the early days of infertility. Then came Kristy, who walked with me thru a lot of the fertility treatments...and even went with me to a few appointments. We would have stayed in Waco at that church, had Steve not graduated seminary and felt called to full time ministry. That church loved us and still email us often! Next came the move back to Oklahoma. This brought new friendships! Kim and Jennifer. Kim and I still chat...she is so down to earth! Love her! Jennifer was the first gal that I was able to walk with thru infertility. It was bitter sweet leaving that church...we saw it grow from 30 members to over 100. Small Oklahoma church, but God was working there. They have asked us to come back and do a revival for them...it feels good to feel missed and loved so much. So on to Missouri we went! Stephanie was one of the first friends who really reached out to me. Although she was my boss, she was also my friend. Sarah came shortly behind her! Both have been godly friends! And then I became a mommy...and wow that really opened up my circle of friends...I will just name a few here, but all of these gals have really challenged me to be a better wife, mother, and friend. Angela, Loreal, Jamie, Erika, Christie, Michelle, Lisa, Sara, Wendy, Shannon, Julie, Dianna, Sarah, Rhonda, Debbie, Ann, Belinda, Cheryl, Cindy. Some for a season, some truer then true friends. I feel very blessed by the friendships that God has provided me and when he provided those gals in my life, if for a season, I praise Him for that, if forever, I praise Him for that. If you were one of those gals who I have journied with in life, thanks for being a friend. Thanks for being used by God. I'm praising Him for you!

Peach picking!

2009-08-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

We thought since we will be in the midst of a big move during apple picking season, that we would pick peaches this year instead. This was so much fun and the girls LOVED being able to pick their own and even try a few. Maci LOVES peaches and enjoyed every minute of slurping all over hers. We hope you enjoy the pictures!

Maci enjoying a peach
Emma with the cutest smile on her face!I LOVE this picture of Emma...her eyes look so big!

Chloe and Emma running

Maci working on her peach!

Maci picking her peach!

Chloe picking her a peach! She had so much fun doing this but couldn't understand why we didn't want her to pick everyone that she saw! We told her that she was 4 and could pick four peaches...I think she thought that meant all of the peaches off of four trees!

I'm cheating here!

2009-08-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Click on this link for some cute picts and videos of a recent trip we took! It's a link to a friends blog that has it all on there!

Some fun picts from the past few weeks

2009-07-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

The loneliest place to be...

2009-07-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that the loneliest place to be is is when one boxes themselves in from the fellowship that God has created for them. What does this mean? What does it look like? It's when one is walking thru a trial and chooses to shut the world out from supporting and helping them. It's when one chooses to lock themselves in the privacy of their pain and not allow themselves to weep. I've seen this time and time again. When it's family it is really hard to watch. I pray for those people, for their hearts to be softened, for Christ to heal them. I know from experience that beneath the hurt or disappointment, lies a fear...fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, fear of failure, fear of something. Becoming who God created us to be includes those dark moments of sadness or guilt that we don't want ANYONE to know. Allowing ourselves to be honest, allows God to use those dark moments for HIS glory.
As one who is currently walking thru the fire of life changing events, I know that people are not sure how to help. As I heard from Charles Stanley, friends walk away from you during troubled times for the following reasons. 1.) They don't know what to say, they feel inadequate. 2.) They are judging 3.) They run from you, as they are afraid that your misfortune or hardship is going to rub off on them.
How sad is that? Sometimes not knowing what to say is okay. Just being physically present makes all of the difference. I would hope that the people who have walked away from Steve and I, have done so because they didn't know what to say and not for the other reasons. Christians, PLEASE uplift and encourage your fallen brothers and sisters. Pray for each other, and build up. I have been forever changed by the refining of the fire for God's glory. I must say thank you to the friends who have remained faithful thru it all. Your love and encouragement has meant the world to me, Steve and our girls.

Wind burn?

2009-07-19T20:46:00.001-07:00

Have you ever gotten wind burned? It hurts! It amazes me that one can not see it coming, feel it coming, it just happens. Once wind burned, it takes time to over come. I am so thankful that God has provided protection for us from this. HE is our anchor, and if grounded in HIM, He protects us from the winds of life. The wind can show up in soft, subtle ways or in loud, obnoxious ways. However the enemy chooses to show up to burn you, you can be steadied by Christ. In this time of uncertainty and change, the wind is blowing constantly. I am so blessed to know that I am His and I don't have to be blown around by it any longer.

Yeah, it's got a microphone!

2009-07-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

My new car arrived! So much fun! I haven't had a chance to really be able to play a lot in it as we have been extremely busy lately, but I did manage to figure out a few of the fun features! I have added a few picts of the car! Chloe loves the microphone, and could care less about actually knowing the words! I'm sure I will blog more about it as we are able to take more picts! For those who would consider buying one...we did actually fit 3 car seats in it! Tight, but we did it!

Changes are coming...

2009-07-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to say that my new car is coming this week. We have sold our Honda and are ready for the new ride! I will be sure and post tons of picts online as soon as I get it! Along finding out that it will arrive in STL on Friday, yesterday we got an offer on our house. After a few (painful) minutes of calculating how much we will have to bring to the table to get out of our house...we worked out a deal. Please pray that the inspection and loan committment are in place by the end of the month with NO problems. If all goes well, I will posting our ideas of the next chapter in our lives.

Life changes

2009-07-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

This is the hardest post I've written to date. I feel the need to do it as our lives have changed so much and our family and friends have been so loving and supportive. Steve went before the church this past Sunday and resigned. Steve confessed his sin before the church. Family members and friends, if this is the first time you are hearing this information, I am truly sorry. We have been dealing with this privately in counseling, until it was made public. Steve did NOT have a physical affair. God is renewing and restoring Steve daily. We need your prayers and support as we tread uncharted waters. If you are angry at Steve, please don't be. I have forgiven him and your grace to him will come thru your love for me. God is building up our marriage and we will serve Him thru this. Already 11 couples have shared that they too have walked this journey. We are standing in the gaps with them and together becoming much more transparent for God's glory. My posts will be fewer and farther between as we try to rebuild our lives. Please pray for our girls as they are experiencing new "adventures" as we are calling them. Pray that our house sells. Pray that the church can heal. Pray that God will provide Steve with a new job to provide for our family.

Summer Fun!

2009-06-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

In an effort to not lose my mind with trying to keep the house picked up...we are trying to do at least one outing a day! Here is a few picts from our "water day" outing!

This last picture just makes me laugh so hard!

More info about my new car...

2009-06-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

The car gets 27 - 31

MPG3.5L 4V V6 Duratec Engine

Automatic

Sport Blue Metallic Exterior

Sport Black Leather buckets

18" Aluminum Wheels

Chrome Grille

Decklid

Spoiler

Fog Lamps

Exhaust Tips,

Chromed Pipe in Pipe

Interior 8 way power dr seat w/lumbar

1 touch up and down window

AM/FM S

ingle CD/MP3,

6 spkr

Power windows and locks

Sirius Satellite Radio

Sync Voice Activated System

Functional4 WHL Disc Brakes w/abs

Power SteeringTraction Control

Tilt Telescope Wheel

Warranty 3 YR/36,000 Bumper/Bumper

5 YR/60,000 Powrtrain

5 YR/60,000 Roadside Assist

Safety Features Advance Trac ESC

Latch Child Safety

Perimeter AlarmSide Air Bags/Curtains

Securilock Pass Anti Theft

SOS Post Crash Alert System

Tire Pressure Moitor SYS

Power Moon RoofMoon and Tune Value Package

Sony Sound System 12 speaker

Reverse Sensing System

and comes with a IPOD Classic!

MOPS Book Blog tour book #2

2009-06-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

Life on Planet Mom by Lisa T. Bergren

This was such a practical book! I know I will look at this again and again! I felt like I was having a Chai Latte with a friend as I read this book! So down to earth, Lisa is! The highlights for me (I literally highlighted these parts) were: 1.)realizing how stressed I am...I scored a 406...and anything above 150 puts me at risk of serious illness in the next few years...I'm stressed just thinking about that! Just kidding, it's been an eventful year...one I don't hope to repeat stress wise! 2.) The list of 12 ways parenting can draw you closer together...and how to go on dates and not just talk about kids! 3.) The game plan for how to manage relationships and stay in balance, and last but not least the staying connected to family thru the internet: facebook or blogging! As I read this book I thought about a friend of mine who just had a baby and the phone call she made to me last week...completely worn out and stressed. This is a book I am going to give her and encourage her to read! Mothering a newborn is just a short season, even though it feels as if it would last forever, just as mothering a 4 yr old feels impossible. This was a great read and I am excited for my MOPS friends to get this book so we can talk more about it!

Summer is here!!!

2009-06-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and we are going to stay super busy! Our plans are as follows:

Mondays -Emma therapy appt in the morning, outdoor play in the afternoon, Chickfila for dinner!

Tuesdays -Toddler swim time at the Manchester pool, indoor play in the afternoon (craft day)

Wednesdays -Girls go to MDO and Mommy gets to run errands or catch up on house stuff

Thursdays -Free movie in the morning, outdoor play in the afternoon

Fridays -Emma therapy and family fun day

Other then that, we are watching the time fly by! Chloe is showing more and more personality and pays close attention to detail. (See the pict below) Chloe decided to try out a penny and swallowed it...that was a grose 3 days of checking the poop. Emma is now in therapy twice a week for help with Sensory Integration Disorder. She has gone three times now and has shown progress already! Very exciting! Maci is 9 months now! I am not sure how it happened, but she is! She shows NO interest in crawling or tummy time. She weighs 18 lbs 12 oz and is 28 inches long. She now has 4 teeth and is eating table food for the most part. She is the sweetest baby!

This is Chloe's pict of Steve....take note of the hair on the arms! LOL

For those of you who are wondering...NO I haven't gotten my car yet! Picts will be on here as soon as I do! Not too much going on in my world...diaper buying, money saving, picture taking, mess cleaning me! That about sums it up!

Fun picts from our trip to Hollywood!

2009-05-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

This is mostly just going to be picts. I wanted to get as many picts on here as possible...I will actually blog about the weeks events next week as I am going out of town tomorrow and want to soak in as much time with my girls as possible. This momma missed her girls like crazy!

Pict of Adam...Kris was MIA afterwards...bummer!

Paula Abdul

Me with Megan

Anoop

Me with Danny...and yes I did fire my camera man (my husband) for the blurry picts he took!

A clear shot of Danny

Me with Lil Rounds

Me with David!

Oh my goodness I was really here!

My ticket to the after party!

Elvis's star...we actually saw him here too

Chinese Theater

John Wayne had TINY feet! I'm a ladies 7

Me with the Ladies!

The Hollywood walk of fame...this was so cool!

The Hollywood sign!

Love the Palm trees

Had to get this one for my girls...didn't see Cinderella or Sleeping beauty, which is who they would have really loved

This is where American Idol is normally taped...just not for the finale

All ready to go out for a LONG night of Idol and After party!

Where it all happened!

Media

Me before heading out for the Tues night performances

Lunch at Gordan Ramsey's...the chef from Hell's Kitchen

So fun! And a little more then we typically spend for lunch...but we did it anyways!

MOPS Blog Tour Review

2009-05-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

I was asked to participate in a book blog tour with MOPS. I thought this would be a great way to keep up with my goal to read 6 books this year! I have read 4 books before this one, so making this my 5th! I am very excited about doing this blog tour as it puts books into my hands that I might not have known about.

Here is my first review:

Making Word at home Work by Mary M. Byers.

I found this book to be very informative. I loved how she talked in simple terms and kept her story completely real and authentic. She did not coat it as she had it all figured out, and shared some of her struggles in getting started and getting structure. She uses the first part of the book talking about setting up the structure for the home business, then the second half of the book talks about maximizing the effort of the job. She is very straight forward and practical in her writing and I loved that the chapters were not too long. I could read one here and another there without feeling like I was not "finishing" what I started.

I will be posting another blog about the book Life on Planet Mom in the next few weeks!

I WON I WON!

2009-05-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

So I STILL can not believe this...even as I type it all in! I had a friend a few weeks back host a "Juicey Juice" House party. I couldn't make it to her party, but looked at the House party website. I decided to sign up and see if I could host a party too. I saw an American Idol finale party and knew this was one that I wanted to host. I signed up and answered some screener questions and was chosen to host! A bonus to hosting was that I could also be a part of an "Idol Rocks, Ford Rolls" sweepstakes. As part of this sweepstakes, I needed my friends and family to vote for me. The drawing was at random, but I needed as many votes as possible! I decided that if I could get 500 votes I would stop trying. After emailing all my friends and family, the church, and a local college, I posted on Facebook and let it go. I was very encouraged each day to see the votes rise on the leaders board! I half heartly all week, joked that I would have to cancel this or that because I was going to be in LA! Much to my surprise on Friday morning, I sat down to the computer and checked my email...no email stating that I had won. I jumped on to Houseparty.com and checked here to see if anyone had posted...nothing. Then the phone rang. It was some random marketing company that I had never heard of. I answered and the next 10 minutes of my life were the most emotional 10 minutes I had felt in years! I wanted to scream, shout, cry, and be pinched! I actually won! I WON! I won a trip for two to LA to see the American Idol finales in person! Hotel paid (at the London West Hollywood), flight paid, and a $500 visa card! WOW! On top of all of this...a 2010 Special Edition Ford Fusion Sport! Here is more info about it from a press release that Ford put together: Custom made for serious music fans, the limited edition Ford Fusion comes complete with everything you need to karaoke while on the go. The American Idol Fusion features a 12-speaker Sony sound system with iPod karaoke kit and iPod and LCD monitors mounted in the headrests of the driver and front passenger seats. Additionally, the vehicle will come with American Idol embroidered floor mats and American Idol exterior badging. The Limited Edition American Idol Fusion is Sport model with the Moon and Tune Package, blue exterior color with charcoal leather interior. The Sport model offers an even sportier look, a bigger, more-powerful engine, special 18 inch wheels and upgraded suspension tuning to go along with a distinctive interior. Here are a few pictures: It will actually be this Blue color as well! I can not wait to get the car!

VOTE FOR ME!

2009-05-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

https://fordvehicles.secure.emipowered.net/idolrocksfordrolls/register/index.php?SITE=vote&ID=136674

Click on the link above and VOTE for me to win a trip for two to LA to the season Finale of American Idol! I would LOVE to get to go!

Slacking again...

2009-04-17T10:56:00.001-07:00

Life has gotton SOOOO busy now that Steve is no longer just interm, but now Sr. pastor. We are running 90 miles an hour two different directions most days. Our house being on the market isn't helping that matter either! We had 17 showings in 15 days...with no offers. I am trying to find contentment in the new found stress of running 90 miles a hour. It's added stress when you have three young ladies to care for as well. Please pray for us to find balance these days and for our house to sell. Here are a few recent pictures that I have taken. Enjoy!

Maci fell asleep playing here....so sweet!

The girls playing in the bathtub...they love doing just that!

The girls at the church Easter egg hunt...sorting thru their eggs.

Maci all hyper after eating her Easter candy! LOL

Practice makes perfect...but it doesn't make a boy!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

Here are two picts that I had to share with you! The first one is Chloe's bunny drawing! Soooo cute! And the other is an Easter card!

Books...

2009-03-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have made it my goal to read 6 books this year! Ask me if I am keeping up with this??? Well it is March and I have read ONE! I have a book in mind that shouldn't take too long to read. (Jon and Kate's book). So that should get me back on target to read one book every two months. As I am thinking about books, I just have to give a review of one I read a few years ago. I am not a reader, but once all my friends were talking about this book, I knew I had to get it. I understood within 10 minutes of reading it why it created such a buzz. "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers has got to be one of the best books I have ever read! This book really opened my eyes to a whole new side of grace. God's grace is always one step ahead, and this book lays that out so clearly. This book is based on the book of Hosea from the Bible. If you are a reader, or even if you aren't, I encourage you to pick this one up and give it a few chapters. You will be hooked! I promise!

Proudest and Scariest Mommy moments of the past few days!

2009-03-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

I will start with the positive! Chloe, tonight, as we were putting her to bed busted out with "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, Rom 1:16" What a proud moment it was for me to hear her quote what she was taught today at church.

Now on the flipside, Chloe also caused me the most paniced moment of my mothering this weekend as well! We were are the mall, and were getting ready to leave. Steve went with Maci to the stroller to get her strapped in. I stayed at the table with Emma to finish paying. Chloe followed Steve. Upon gathering everything and going to where Steve was, I quickly noticed that Chloe was no where to be seen. I asked him, he said he thought she was with me. I went into panic mode and scanned visually with my eyes to see if I couldl find her. Steve employeed serveral from the restruant to help look for her. Within five minutes, she was found...outside. Very scary! Up until this point, we had never talked with her about things like this. She now knows that she must hold hands with us in public. We are so thankful for the nice man who brought her back in side the restruant.

Here is a new picture of Maci...so cute!

Here are her latest stats as well:

16 lbs 5 oz (45% for weight)

24 3/4 inches (10% for length, she didn't grow)

She is wearing 3-6 mth clothing mostly, with some 6 month outfits mixed in. She loves fruit, and now eats three times a day. She sleeps 12 hours at night and loves to laugh at balloons. She is such a sweet baby.

Here is a video of her laughs!

Chloe also had her 4 yr appt.

Here are her stats:

45/5 lbs (96% for her age)

40/5 inches tall (68% for her age)

Wears a size 5 in clothes, size 10 in shoes!

Emma and her singing abilities...

2009-03-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2009-03-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

This is for you Grandma! Hope you enjoy it! We miss you and wish we could be there to celebrate with you today!

Snack Money

2009-03-04T06:25:00.000-08:00

Since I can not fill Chloe up and she is asking for snacks non-stop, I had to do something to get it under control. I have implemented a "snack money" system. She earns snack money by doing what she is asked. (like picking up toys, sharing, etc) She can earn up to three snack $'s a day. I made a few credit card sized card stock dollars for her. She can cash them in when she wants. Only three a day though! She is in control of when she cashes them in, and is learning how to earn at the same time! Some snacks cost 2 $, like the ones that aren't so healthy, such as 100 cal packs, but fruit only cost 1. I love it! So far it's working great!

Magic House

2009-03-03T20:15:00.000-08:00

We took the girls to the Magic House while our house was being shown during Open House. Chloe has been a few times, but I think she really enjoyed it this time! She really explored the different areas. Emma's got to experience it for the first time. Emma and Chloe both really had wild hair. They both loved doing this!

Icecream anyone?

Emma enjoyed shopping in the little play store. She got milk, bread, and of course some chocolate.

Water play...they don't get to stand and play in the water very often, so they did NOT want to leave this room.

Chloe really enjoyed building in the lego room.

Emma enjoyed knocking everything over as Chloe built it.

Meet Queen Chloe

And Queen Emma

Here is Chloe climbing the bean stock!

Perhaps Emma will be our little pianist! She did not want to share the keyboard with Chloe.

Super hero Brunch

2009-03-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

Here is Chloe with her girlfriend, Olivia. So cute!
Here is another pict from the brunch. Lot's of princess' at this brunch...but not my Chloe!

Super Chloe, flying!

This picture is my favorite! I might just have to frame this one up!

Flying again!

Chloe enjoyed the Super Hero Brunch that was held at our church last weekend! She was so excited to get dressed up in her Super girl costume! Or as she calls it, Super Chloe!

Friends, fun, and memories

2009-02-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

These past two weeks have flown by so fast! We have been so busy! Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to!

Maci is now eating solids. She is so messy. The first few days she spit it back out as fast as I put it in, but now she can't take it in quick enough. She leans for the dish, instead of the spoon. Here is a video of her eating. (And yes, that is Chloe in the background begging for greenbeans as she is laying in bed trying to find an excuse to come out)

The girls had friends over and we thought it would be fun to bring in the picnic table and enjoy lunch like this! I wish we had space to have this up permanently inside, but we don't. They love that it's their size and I love that it's so easy to clean! They played for 3 hours (without fighting) while their girlfriends were over!

Chloe is loving being a big sister! I let her help me feed Maci and she really feels like big stuff! Wish I could convince her to change the diapers...oh well someday, right?

Here is a picture of the girls at church. They were hugging and it was really sweet, but couldn't quite get them both to look and smile at the same time. They are really starting to play well together and I love to watch them interact.

Steve bought me flowers for Valentines day and took me to a dinner theater, Clue. It was a blast! Steve and I both guessed the right person, room, but were wrong on the weapon! It was fun getting (sort of) dressed up. Chloe and I went to get our hair cut, and I paid the extra $ and had them style mine as well. This was a fun date, and it was kid free! Our church did childcare for $10/kid from 6-10:PM. What a steal! Our girls had a great time and even slept in the next day!

Here are a few picts of Chloe's b-day invites. I totally love and enjoy putting together a fun birthday party for my girls...I try to go all out! Spoil them! I shared my birthday with my mom, and my sisters was only 10 days later, so I didn't feel like I really ever had my special day! We are having a princess party this year!

Steve's call!

2009-02-11T20:33:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghTQfVJDNlU

Sorry I couldn't post it directly on here!

New job!

2009-02-10T07:34:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of my husband! He has served at our church as the interm pastor for that past 14 months. He has fallen in love with leading the church and felt called by God to submit his resume for Sr. pastor. This past Sunday, our church voted him in at 95%! What affirmation! We are so excited about God's call on our family! Our church website is: http://ballwinbaptist.com/ if you want to see what we are all about!

Other things I should mention...we are going back on the market this weekend. We want to sell and move into something a little bigger! Our cute little one bathroom house is shrinking by the minute! Beyond that, Chloe's 4th b-day is fast approaching and I am working on giving her the best "princess" party ever! Picts will come after her party in March. Maci is turning 6 months next week and it's about to send me into baby withdraws...just kidding. It is so hard to believe that 6 months has gone by so quickly. I am resolving to play on the computer less and hold her more...it won't last much longer. She is becoming very verbal and loves to grab things. She is eating cereal now and we will soon be adding veggies...it's so messy, but she is doing really well. Emma is able to say whatever she wants now and is so funny in how she asserts herself vocally! "Me want milk!" or "Emma want snack" Too cute! And as for me...I am serving on MOPS leadership again and am very excited about it! I've missed having my hands in something like this! I posted a pict of me with Maci. I think my kids are going to think I was extremely ill when they were little because I do most of the picture taking and have very few of me with them.

The gift card arrived...and was gone in three days!

2009-02-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

One last blog for the day, since I know inquiring minds want to know! My Babies-r-us giftcard finally arrived in the mail...when I was out of town, non the less. I went to Toys-r-us first and bought Chloe a birthday present and a few odds and ends, then off to Babies-r-us. There I bought a few boxes of diapers, a few baby shower gifts, an outfit and some cute socks for Maci, bibs, sippy cups, other random odds and ends. Then off to internet shopping! I bought my new camera...which I am really excited about! It should be here on Wednesday! And a baby shower hostess gift as well. The following day, I went back to Toys-r-us and we bought the girls a picnic table that will seat 8 kids, a 2nd Wii remote and a new game. The rest of the card was spent the next day at Babies-r-us. I decided that diapers was the smartest thing to buy so I finished it off buying boxes and boxes of them. It's amazing how fast that card went...but it sure was a blessing!

I'm slacking...but with good reason this time!

2009-02-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

The secret is finally out! I can not tell you how difficult that was to hold in! If you are family and you are reading this, thank you so much for letting me tell you and for all of your prayers and support! Steve was announced as the Sr. Pastor candidate at our church, Ballwin Baptist Church. We are very excited about this and are in awe that God would use us in this way. It has been a journey this past year and one that I have learned many lessons from. When it all came about I thought that I knew what was best for my family and Steve. Wow, did God show me His grace on that one! Notice the emphasis on "I" here. He used many different things to show me He had a plan and that He was calling me to trust in His plan. This year has been a year of affirmation and growth and I am so blessed to have watched God use Steve again and again for His glory. Next Sunday, on Feb 8th, the church will vote and everything will be over! We are praying that the Lord is leading His people to vote for Steve, but are trusting in Him no matter the outcome. We have been away for the last week and enjoyed visiting a friend of mine and her family. We went to Knoxville and here are a few pictures that Krisa took of us while we were there.

Lots has changed with the girls this past month! Chloe is saying some of the funniest things ever! Here is her newest thing to do:

Chloe: Knock knowck

Me: Who's there?

Chloe: pickles

Me: Pickles, who?

Chloe: Pickles that tickles

(then she tickles me)

She is taking swimming lessons and loving being back in the water. She was sick this past week. Didn't act sick really, just had a horrible rash all over her face. Long story short, she had a strep infection. She gets it on the outside of her body...very strange. Here is a picture of her with the rash on her face!

She also has learned a new song that she LOVES singing...here is a video of that as well:

Emma has been learning new phrases very quickly. She is a little parrot and can say anything she wants! She is so funny these days. Below is a picture of Emma digging into the family birthday cake she had! She is such a mess! Our little cookie monster! This is our child who doesn't like to play with play-doh but has no problems getting into her food!

And last but not least, little Maci! She is growing so fast! She is really verbalizing and has a lot to say! She has learned how to use her hands and loves to grab things! Yes, hair is included! We have tried cereal two times and as you can tell from the look on her face, she did not like it. It was more of a mess then I expected! Guess we will wait a little longer to try again.

Suckers...

2009-01-15T20:26:00.000-08:00

I had to post this one! Emma is really into candy these days! She likes to play in the bathroom "washing her hands" and she came out of the bathroom with what she thought was a sucker in hand...and asked Steve to open her "sucker" LOL I will leave you to think of what wrapped sucker shaped thing she might have been talking about!

Shame on me!

2009-01-13T13:14:00.000-08:00

Wow, I knew I was a little behind on things, but I didn't realize just how behind I was! I decided to check in with my good buddy Snapfish and see when I last shared my pictures with her. It had been over a month! I made it my goal today to upload and order all of those pictures! Over 200 picts later, they are ordered. I must say that it paid off to wait as I was able to surf out on the web and find a coupon for free shipping if you ordered over 100 prints! I had done the math and it would have cost me over $37 to pick them up in the store, or just over $34 to have them mailed. With this coupon code, it was only $23.17. Great savings!

Emma is now officially 2 yrs old! She is great at throwing those fake 2 yr old fits! I must say sometimes it is quite comical to watch her watching us for our reaction, stopping mid fit to see if we are paying attention! Here are her stats:

28 lbs 4 oz which is 72% for her age

35 1/2 inches which is 90% for her age

shoe size: 6 1/2

clothes size: 2T

Security object: anything blankie like

Fav food: chicken nuggets, chocolate, and milk

Fav toys: baby dolls, purses, and anything Chloe is playing with

Fav words: baby, mama, dada, chloe, maci, emma, milk (we here these words hourly)

Fav show: Dora, Mickey Mouse, Pooh

Fav time of day: bathtime

Bad habits: sucking thumb, making a mess out of her dinner, and hitting Chloe

Cutest thing she does: makes funny faces, puts herself in the corner, tries to feed Maci with her play bottles

Maci had her 4 month check up...finally (a little late, I know) Below are her stats:

13 lbs 10 oz which is 35% for her age (tiny)

25 inches which is 63% for her age

Maci has recently found her hands and LOVES to chew on them. She is very drooly..if that is a word. It's so grose...that girl can soak a bib in less then 2 minutes. Needless to say, I am keeping busy with laundry! Maci can now grab things and Chloe and Emma think this is really cool.

Chloe is very very very talkative lately. Makes my head spin somedays. So many words! Questions! Lack of volume control! ARGHHHHHHH She loves doing craft projects, so I am trying to keep her busy with those most days! She loves preschool and I love the break it gives my ears!

I am richly blessed by my girls! I still can't figure out why God chose to bless me with them.

Emma's first hair cut

2009-01-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today after taking Emma to get her 2 yr pictures made, I took her to get her first official haircut! Below are the before and after pictures.

Bye bye cute blonde baby curls!

It's gonna take a few days for me to get used to it...but I am sure Emma would be happy about not having tangles anymore!

Birthdays of years past...

2009-01-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be fun to upload a few picts of the girls birthday partys from last year. I have birthday on the brain as Emma is turning 2 this week. I can not believe how fast this past year has flown by. Emma has grown and changed in so many ways. Too many to list!

Chloe's 3rd birthday was a "Chloeland" party. Her cake was so full of candy...sugar overload! Chloe had gymnastics that morning, then came from there to her party. I will not do another sugar filled party again!

The theme of her 1st brithday party was "Cute as a Button".

2008 year in Review

2008-12-31T07:01:00.000-08:00

January - We were so blessed to celebrate Emma's 1st Birthday!
February - Emma and I flew to Knoxville into visit friends...ended up in the ER with a very sick baby.
March - We celebrated Chloe's 3rd birthday! She is getting so big so fast!
April - We went to Oklahoma to celebrate Grangran's 91st birthday!
May - Went to Georgia on a mission trip.
June - Flew to California to see Loreal and her family! We also got to go to Sea World! YEA!
July - We went to Branson for one last little get away...without kids!
August - Maci arrived via c-section!
September - Chloe and Emma started preschool and MDO.
October - We thought our house had sold (for the 3rd time) but contract fell thru....again.
November - I got to go to the New Kids on the Block Concert!
December - We celebreated our 8th anniversary. We went to Oklahoma for Christmas. The girls LOVED playing with their cousins.

Christmas

2008-12-30T21:08:00.000-08:00

We road tripped to Oklahoma for Christmas this year! We opened presents with the girls a few days before we left. Here are a few picts of our Christmas! This one is Chloe playing with the new doll house that Santa brought her and Emma to share! She didn't know where to begin!

Next we have Emma and the doll house! She was so overwhelmed by everything she didn't know where to start!

Next is Emma riding her Pony's that G-ma bought her! I think perhaps G-ma should have bought bigger ponies for Emma to "ride." Sooo funny!

And sweet little Maci! She found a new friend at g-ma's house! This is a doll that G-ma had that Maci LOVED! When she would start to cry we could get her "friend" and she would stop and just coo and smile at her. So adorable!

Maci the chatter box

2008-12-30T20:56:00.001-08:00

Wow, what a difference a week can make! Maci was doing simple coo's when we left to go to Oklahoma for Christmas. This is what she started doing while we were there! So sweet!

Before leaving, I wanted to make sure our Little People Nativity was all together. Upon checking it, I noticed that Jesus was missing! I searched everywhere for Him and couldn't find Him anywhere. Having no luck, I finally asked Chloe if she knew where Jesus was...and in the cutest 3 yr old voice possible, she replied "Yip, He's in Bef-la-ham" So cute! The next day I found Him! I yelled "I found Jesus" and Steve thought I was out of my mind...he didn't know what I was talking about! LOL I thought this was such a great reminder from the Lord to remember that Jesus is the reason we all exist and should be the focus of the holiday season!

The sweetest Christmas wishing

2008-12-18T20:50:00.001-08:00

My sweet blue eyed baby! She was just bathed! She is getting so big! Such a sweetie! Here is cute Emma and her bubble beard! She is loving the new found freedom of bath taking. She is no longer confined to a suction seat...so she "swims" in the bath.

25 things about me

2008-12-17T21:33:00.000-08:00

1. I never dreamed that I would be a mother of three girls.
2. I overthink my thoughts and decisions too often.
3. I went to college 4 years and got two degrees....my B.S. in Psychology and my MRS. degree
4. I love being crafty...anything hands on!
5. I wear black and brown too much.
6. I miss Loreal like crazy and can't wait to see her again soon!
7. I was born on my moms b-day.
8. My husband makes me laugh...daily. He's so goofy!
9. I rush my kids too much and wish I could stop.
10. I love Target!
11. I'm a coupon shopping diva!
12. I hurt when others hurt.
13. I often wonder why God chose me to walk the journeys He has.
14. I clutter up the house and am trying to stop that.
15. I have a stock pile of diapers, wipes, and formula in my basement.
16. I enjoy dressing my girls a like!
17. I hate seafood.
18. I am a facebook addict.
19. I was a cheerleader in highschool.
20. I dye my hair every 6 weeks...the grey keeps coming back.
21. I need a workout buddy.
22. I have never been a girly girl.
23. I am comforted by my Father daily and love Him dearly.
23. I have an amazing group of girlfriends...yes you are one of them!
24. I love baking.
25. I am amazed that one can love three chidren as much as I do!

Holiday stress...

2008-12-17T15:02:00.000-08:00

I love the Holidays. I love the shopping and giving of gifts. I do not, however, love the stress. I told myself this year that I would not rush my girls. I do it everyday. I can't seem to stop myself. I hate being rushed, yet I am doing it to them. "Hurry get your shoes on", "hurry climb in the van", "hurry put on your coat". It's out of control how much I rush them. I am going to just be late for now on...no more rushing.

Yesterday was a stress filled day for our family. So much sadness filled our day. My brother in law, who is a fireman who I have so much respect for, came upon a wreck and did everything he could to save the mom. The kids were okay, but she didn't make it. I am in awe by how much strength it must have took for him to do that. He is amazing and I feel I don't appreciate my family (verbally) enough. I cried like a baby for this family who lost a love one. This mom...of girls. It brought back memories of losing my own mom and that pain. I hurt for this family. It reminded me of how precious life is and to live in the moment. Don't rush! Don't take family for granted. Tell them you love them every chance you can. Invest in them.

A few hours later, Steve received a call that again reminded us how precious life is. Another lost love one. A church family had lost one of their children. As he was heading out the door to be with this family, we received a call from his dad. His mom was in a car wreck. We had no details to go on, we had to rush to pick up his dad and head to the ER. The world stops when a loved one is in an accident and you have no details. We were grateful and blessed to find her with little injury. She was emotionally shooken up, but who wouldn't be?

All of these crazy happenings right at the holidays. I am left to wonder what God is intending for me to learn from all of this. Life is fragil, it's short, and we should appreciate each other more. That is what I have concluded thus far. If you are reading this blog entry, please know that God has placed you in my life for a reason and me in yours alike. I praise God that He uses people and circumstances to teach us more about Him and His love. Love you!

(I promise fun picts and lighter blog posts in the near future)

Holiday happenings and forever friends

2008-12-13T21:42:00.001-08:00

We have had a busy last two weeks! Time is flying these days! I thought I would log on and upload some picts from our latest fun! These are a few of my girlfriends girls. We were having a lazy winter day and thought letting the girls play together would break up the indoor boredom. They enjoyed themselves and as you can see, there were lots of little girls over here that day. 3 mommies and 8 daughters!

This is my oldest little angel! She was one of three angels in her preschool Christmas program. The angels were selected by behavior. Just kidding! I was such a proud momma. I cried as she sang "Happy Birthday Jesus, I'm so glad it's Christmas" There is nothing sweeter then hearing your child sing about Jesus at Christmas! And she even got the words correct to the "sheep song" by singing "I DON'T want to be a hypocrite". We were worried after many weeks of her singing "I just want to be a hypocrite". We caught her singing Happy Birthday Jesus to her baby doll as she had it wrapped in a blanket. So sweet!

Chloe got to enjoy watching her daddy in his role as "Tony" in the church Christmas Dinner Theater. This is the face she made after her mommy talked her into trying fruitcake! Guess I won't be asking her to try that again. She is such a ham...just like her Daddy!

Oh and Maci gave her first laugh! I will try to get it on video and post it soon!

Christmas jammies....

2008-12-08T18:39:00.000-08:00

This is about how the other 30 pictures we took turned out. Below are some cute ones though!

As you can see above...we couldn't get a great one of all three of the girls...but here are two good shots.

Emma has pig tails in this pict...you just can't see them!

Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwich how to...by Chloe.

2008-12-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHzVMf8TZoA

Some of my favorite money saving websites!

2008-12-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

http://www.freebies4mom.com/
http://www.dealseekingmom.com/
http://thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com/
http://www.stlmommy.com/search/label/free
http://www.bargainshopperlady.com/
http://www.moneysavingmom.com

b-day freebies
http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/2008/12/birthday-freebies-december-update.html

Nursery

2008-11-30T16:02:00.000-08:00

Here it is as Chloe's room. It had lots of stuff in it...I've scaled back, with the other two!

This is Maci's room! Above her bed reads "Sweet dreams"
This one was Emma's. I don't have a pict of her bedding on here, it's really cute!

So I thought it might be fun to post all three girls nurserys! It was Chloes's first...very girly. I loved the softness of the pink. Then it was Emma's. Yellow, bright and fun. Now, it's Maci's sage, quiet, and simple. I have loved the room each time!

Thankful...

2008-11-29T20:07:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law has a tradition of saying what we are thankful for at the dinner table while we celebrate our thanksgiving meal together. Each year I have taken the easy way out and have always said my hubby and kids. This year I really spent some time thinking about all that I am thankful for. Wow, there is so much to be thankful for. God is sovereign. That is what I am most thankful for. He is in control of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I am so thankful that I can rest my head each night confident that He is in control and knows what's best for me and my family. As a mother of three little princesses, I often worry about this or that. He has freed me to trust Him. He is my Abba Father, my place of rest. I, honestly, do not know how people journey thru life without Him. I would be a wreck.

We traveled to Oklahoma this year for Thanksgiving. It was quite the day. Chloe got sick two hours into our trip. We decided to go a head and go anyways. We got there and a few hours later, her eye was so swollen and we decided to take her to the ER. Turns out that she has a strep infection in her face. Four hours later, we were on our way home with medicine in hand. She woke up the next morning back to normal, no temp. We enjoyed our meal and our family even more. The girls were spoiled by all of the desserts that they had to choose from and feasted on the cherry cheesecake (thanks Aunt Kathy). I am ashamed to say that I failed to take pictures. I will try to get some from my aunt to post on here.

I won! I won!

2008-11-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

I never win anything! Ever! Well, that's partly because I never enter things. My pedi game me some Enfamil samples which had codes on them for a sweepstakes that they were doing. I thought, "why not?" and entered the codes online. A few months has passed by and out of the blue comes an email! I actually won! WOW! I won a $1000 giftcard to Babies R Us! I am so excited about this! My house is a babies r us! We have three under four! We have two in diapers and one in pull ups (at night only). We are totally going to use it on diapers and baby food! I can't wait to get it. It will take 8-10 weeks...don't you know I will be watching for the mail man come January! :o)

Busy busy busy...

2008-11-20T20:03:00.000-08:00

These are a few picts from our trip to Dallas. For some reason I can't see them on this as I am typing tonight, but will try to come back and edit and add more at a later date!

I love this time of year as it's filled with fun lights and holiday memories. I love spending time with my family and carefully buying each person gifts that I think will bless them. However, this time of year also comes with stress. The thing I hate most is feeling hurried from one place to the next. Today while running a quick errond with Chloe, I found myself saying "hurry Chloe, hurry" I do it to myself. I don't want my girls to think that the holidays are stressful, instead I want them to think it's time for family. Through the busyness, I was able to take a few pictures...here they are:

2008-11-09T19:52:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Totally Blessed!

2008-11-08T20:20:00.001-08:00

So I just turned 29! For real...my first 29th birthday! As I get older, I don't really look forward to my birthday with great anticipation of something fantastic happening. I never know really what to expect, except a few cards and phone calls. This year was filled full of great surprises! From the phone calls, to the delivery of chocolate covered strawberries, to the date night, to the night out with the girls...to the homemade muffin, to the unexpected gift card, to the lunch dates with mentors...WOW! I am so blessed to have so many friends and family that love me and know exactly how to make me feel so special. My birthday is a great time for me to reflect on the past year...so here goes: So I didn't lose the 50lbs that I wanted to lose, and I didn't invent something that would bring in millions of dollars, and I didn't master being super mom (or wife for that matter), but I did do one of the most important things...I grew in relationships with all of you! I carried and evicted my third daughter. I focused more on the Lord's will for my life and my family, and gave up my selfish expectations of how I thought things should go. I cried with friends who needed me to, I laughed at myself when I made mistakes, and I kept in close contact with a dear friend who moved back home (and was even able to fly out to see her! Thanks stimulus check!) I kept my mouth shut more when I needed to the most, and I put aside my "me time" to go outside with the girls. I have a lot more growing up to do (notice that I said UP not OUT!) and am praying that the Lord will continue to do a work in me. I pray that I will become more of a woman of action and less of a woman of words. I pray that you will feel more loved and valued by me in the days to come.

Messy Monday

2008-11-03T17:38:00.000-08:00

This picture says it all...this is Emma after finishing her pizza. She was a total mess! She gets a bath after dinner every night because she usually looks like this.
I love this picture...they were all so relaxed!

They were having so much fun, laughing so hard! I love it!

We enjoyed the 75 degree weather today! It was so beautiful. I raked up a few leaves and let the girls go to town. They jumped in them, threw them, layed in them, kick them....just had a blast. It was so much fun to see them laughing and enjoying themselves. Afterwards, we came in and I made the girls english muffin pizzas. They think these are great and they are super easy to make.

Tooth Fairy

2008-11-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

A family Halloween shot at the mall. Steve, his queen, and three princesses.
We forgot our candy bags, but thought that the Chick-fil-a bags worked great! Chloe got tons of candy was totally content!

Maci decided she wanted a treat, too. So she found her thumb and went after it! She will probably be a thumb sucker just like Emma. I've been trying to make her a pacie girl.

Emma didn't quite know how to say "trick or treat" but was very excited to walk up to people who were holding a candy bowl and watch them drop candy in her bag.

So I probably bought myself the "meanest mom on the planet" award for this, but it was all I could come up with. I am totally a money saver...always looking for ways to make cuts and save. After paying a large dental bill this month on my own teeth, I couldn't stand the thought of paying more for the girls teeth. Emma is young enough that I can still get away with things. Chloe, on the other hand is much too smart for that! So before putting Chloe to bed, I told her that the tooth fairy might come tonight. Here is how the conversation went:

Mommy: Chloe, the tooth fairy is going to come tonight!

Chloe: The tooth fairy? Why is she coming?

Mommy: She is going to come and take all of your candy, and trade it for a new toothbrush.

Chloe: Why is she going to take all of my candy?

Mommy: Candy is bad for your teeth and she doesn't want your teeth to get cavities.

Chloe: Is candy bad for my body?

Mommy: Yes, candy is bad for your body.

Chloe: Are cookies bad for my body, too?

Mommy: Yes, they are.

Chloe: Then why do you give me one at the grocery store?

Mommy: It's a once in the while treat.

Chloe: I want my candy for a once in a while treat too.

Mommy: Okay but the tooth fairy is going to take it all tonight, so tell it bye bye

Chloe: bye bye candy, mommy, can we hide 3 pieces from the tooth fairy?

So it was successful. She was happy with hiding the 3 pieces (in the fridge, and securing it with the fridge lock!) and I was happy convincing her that the rest was gone! She woke up this morning, found her new toothbrush that lights up, and was so excited! "Mommy, Mama, mommy, mama, she came, she came!" I love it! I wonder how many more years I have doing this before she out smarts me.

Baby blue's and other things...

2008-10-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

My baby will be 10 weeks old this week. It's so sad how quickly time is flying by. She is so beautiful and is such a joy! I honestly think that God placed her in our lives as a burst of joy and laughter straight from His arms at this stressful time in our lives. Our house has been on the market now for 8 months. We've had 3 contracts that have all fallen thru. Steve is still the interim pastor at church and is being challenged daily. We needed this sweet distraction in the midst of all of that!

Maci gives the cutest smiles now! They are totally intentional! We can't get enough of it! I will be totally surprised if these sweet baby blue eyes change. They are soooooooo blue!

My three little princesses

2008-10-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here is my little bald Jasmine! Too cute! She is growing so fast and is changing daily! Last night she went 7 hours between feedings! It was so nice!
All three of my little princesses. Chloe staring as Belle, Maci as Jasmine, and Emma as Cinderella. Don't ya just love the "OHHHHHHHHHHHHH" that Maci is saying?

Sisterly love! If you knew the morning I had when this picture was taken, you would ask "How did you get them to hug and smile?" LOL It's great having dress up clothes, makes for easy and cheap costumes! I didn't have to buy any this year.

We are going to the mall to trick or treat...after eating our Chick-fil-a. Then we will come home and beg people to come to our door...which will only turn out to be about 5 kids.

For you grandma and grandpa...from Chloe

2008-10-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

Chloe is learning so much in preschool!

2008-10-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

Chloe continues to impress us with how much she is learning at preschool!

The cutest Twinkle rendition ever

2008-10-12T14:46:00.003-07:00

Chloe's first hickey...

2008-10-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

After Aunt TV was in charge for an hour, this is how I found Chloe. At first I was paniced that she was having an allergic reaction to something, then I realized what had happened. Square shape from the shape sorter, plus creative 3 yr old....this is what you get:

Annual trip to the Pumpkin patch

2008-10-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

This was such a fun outing! Emma and Chloe had plenty to do and kept me on my toes. Emma is fearless...I couldn't look away for a minute...she was so quick to be gone, or up high on something!
Can you tell that she really didn't want to take this picture?
Emma looks so small compared to these HUGE pumpkins!
Here is Chloe with her girl friends up on top of a hay stack! So cute!
Here I am with all three of my girls! Maci looks like a baby doll with her bald head!
Emma, the worse place to stand around a horse is BEHIND it!
No Monkey business here! Chloe did a great job this year getting across. Last year she was not coordinated enough to even try this.
Here is Emma 10 ft up and fearless!
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Micky" as Chloe likes to say
Here is Emma with Olivia, one of her girl friends! Too cute!

What would we do without our girlfriends? Three of mine went with me that day and I must say that I am blessed to know these gals! God has surrounded me with great, godly women who challenge me to be a better wife, friend, and mother! Praise God!

Enjoying Fall

2008-10-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Maci next to Caroline. Maci is 3 weeks younger then Caroline. My friend, Erika and I were both invited to listen to a friends presentation about Arbonne and we both showed up with our girls dressed a like! Too cute! Had to take a picture of them!
After a nice long walk, Chloe and Emma wanted to play out back. They were both swinging and looking so big. I love the sheer joy of kids playing when they are really enjoying themselves. I have made a committment to myself to take them outside each day and I am glad for it. They need to breathe the fresh air and fun while it's still nice out there. Chloe was so good at finding me things in the backyard. I had her look for leaves in 4 different colors. The trees in these picture still look pretty green, but they are starting to change and fall.
Emma was jumping on the trampoline and the static was building. Her hair was so wild and was sticking out everywhere! Too cute!
I think that smile says it all! I am going to really hate it when we are all cooped up inside and can not go outside.

And this video makes me both proud and sad all at the same time. Proud that my 7 week old can roll over already, and sad that she did this so quickly. I don't think most babies her age are doing this yet. Slow down Maci...mommy can't take you growing so fast.

Busy week....

2008-10-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, we had a BUSY week! Monday was Maci's 1 month appt....I blogged her latest stats in the previous blog. Tuesday we went to see Kung Fu Panda and ate Chick-fil-a, all for the low price of $8.00. The movie was only a $1 per person! This was the first movie that Emma has actually watched the screen! She made it about half way thru the movie before getting bored with it.
Tuesday we had a young couple come look at our house, and they liked it! YEA! They had their dad come back on Wednesday and he approved, so we were hopeful. Thursday morning we got word from our agent that we had an offer coming in! YEA! We accepted the offer, and now are awaiting the inspection. Please join us in praying that everything goes smoothly with this. By the end of next week, we should have answers on everything.

Steve played duck duck goose with the girls today...on the trampoline. They love playing that with him! Emma laughs so hard and so loud, it's so cute! I love it! There is something about a daddy being a daddy that is so sweet! The girls know that they are his world when they are playing on the trampoline.

This is the "noodle box" and Chloe and Emma love it. It's just full of noodles, and pasta. They can pour, shake, and scoop the pasta. The only rule is that it has to stay on the red. They both do pretty good, when playing alone with the box, sharing it is a whole different story!

And how could I not add a new picture of Maci? She probably thinks the camera is attached to me somehow. She has been a little stinker lately, waking up to eat every 2-3 hrs. I pray this is a growth spurt and not the norm as it's leaving me VERY tired. She is such a blessing to our family and God knew that we needed a burst of joy in the midst of the stress.

1 month Dr visit

2008-09-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

This is a new hobby of mine...digi scrapping! Gotta figure out how to make them bigger so they look good on here!

Here are Maci's latest stats:

9lbs 7oz

21 3/4 inches long

growing like a weed, beautiful as ever!

On Eagles wings...

2008-09-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt so connected, yet disconnected at the same time? Before having my girls, I felt disconnected (biologically) as my mother had passed away (11 years ago, this week.) Around this time of the year, I think about her. As the leaves start to fall, I think about her. As I am facing challenges as a mother myself, I think about her. Would she have thought I was a good mom? Would she have loved my girls and been that crazy grandma who doted over how beautiful they are to everyone who would listen? Unfortunately, those are questions that will not be answered. I have grown in appreciation of her and how she loved me inspite of my me-ness, if that is a word. I thought this week that I would love to call her and apologize for being such a talker as a child. Chloe has made me realize how annoying it must have been that I never shut up!
God knows exactly what we need and when we need it the most. On eagles wings, He delivers. I have been truely blessed by a very loving woman who is married to my dad. I call her "Mom." She has stepped right in and loved me and guided me to become the woman and mother that I am today. I talk with her a few times a week and am giddey to share my bargins or coupon deals with her and to hear of her great deals! It's so refreshing to connect with someone who will listen when you are frustrated, yet not allow you to walk in self pity. It is such a special relationship that I have with her. She affirms me as a mom, and I need that.

Mom,
Thank you so much for all that you do to help me grow as a woman and a mother to these little girls that God has trusted me with. Thank you for listening to me and encouraging me. Thank you for teaching me to save tons of money and to be a wise shopper. Thank you for loving my girls and baking cookies with Chloe. Thank you for flying up here to help me out when I had Maci. Thank you for being you and for loving me like you do. I appreciate you far more then I ever tell you. I'm so glad that you are blessed enough to retire so young, so now when we come down we can "play" more and find deals together! I love you!
Love,
Courtney

P.S. I must say that a trip to Canton needs to be in the works for the spring...an all girls trip!

Road trip to Oklahoma

2008-09-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

We had a fun trip, although it was a short one. We stayed in Springfield on the way down. This was the first time we have stayed in a double bed suite. We needed the three beds. Chloe was the lucky one who got her own bed. I think this is the new way to travel. Drive half way, stay the night in a hotel, then finish the trip the next morning. The kids did great and it was nice to have a break from the van. We made it there by noon on Thursday. As we pulled in, Steve said "I sure hope we get fried okra at least once while we are here." It was so nice to walk into a home cooked meal by g-ma and it included fried okra and fried zucchini. (In the south, this is how we eat veggies...fry them up and we will eat em up.) Friday morning, Grandma Loretta and I went to a craft show, more picts and description below. Steve went to visit his best friend, Jarrod, that night. It was good for him to have some "guy time" and talk sports, as my family is pretty much clueless when it comes to sports. Ask Steve which season it is and he will say "baseball, football, or basketball" ask my family and they will say "Fall, Winter, Summer, or Spring" Grandma Loretta and I went to Fin and Feather, a craft show, on Friday and found some fun stuff! Pictured here are some of my finds! I bought the bag above for a diaper bag for Maci. It was too cute to pass up and Maci will be able to use it later if she so chooses. It can be a back pack or a one strapped bag. Too much fun!
Emma, who loves watching Dora, is always talking about a back pack. Chloe has one and Emma is always trying to sneak off with Chloe's. It was nice to see one that was Emma-sized...and it already had her name on it! Had to get it!
Okay, I know what you are thinking as you are looking at this picture. "That bow is WAY too big for that babys head" I agree...but give her a month or two! It was so cute and it had a rhinestone in it! I couldn't live without it!
So this one is a little larger then life as well. Trust me...in a few months it will be adorable on her! Just you wait and see! (isn't my bow model the cutest thing ever?)
I loved this band because you can change out the bows on it. I bought it in purple too! So as you can tell from the picture, she was TIRED of playing dress up and wanted me to stop! That was the last photo from this mommy-paparazzi.

This is Grangran, Maci's great great grandpa holding her. He is 91 yrs old. He kept calling her "doll baby" and it totally melted my heart. We kept joking that he and Maci look a lot alike...since he refuses to wear his teeth.
Here is Chloe and Emma with Deedee, their great great grandmother. She enticed them into her lap with cookies. Grandma's and cookies just have what it takes to get little girls to do about anything.
Here is Maci all swaddled up. I love making a baby burrito out of her. She sleeps so much better when she is snug as a bug! Although, in this picture she looks a little upset. And no, her hair hasn't fallen out (yet), it's just very light colored. Ladies and Gentleman, I think we have another blonde on our hands!
Here is Chloe and Emma both holding their babies. Chloe wanted to hold Maci and Emma climbed up beside her with her baby doll. So cute! At least Emma held on to her baby when Chloe let go of hers...because she was "making a funny sound." It was the basement, not the attic. Chloe doesn't do diapers yet!

Playdoh girls

2008-09-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

So I got brave and decided to make play doh for the girls. It was really quite simple and made a lot. The texture was great and it took all of 10 minutes. (Seriously!) Emma didn't really want to get her hands dirty...so she just poked at it. Chloe, on the other hand, played with it for an hour and a half! WOW! Who would have thought that she would have loved playing with it so much? I added the recipe if any of you get brave enough to want to try it out yourself! Beware, though, makes for a few hours of great fun!

Playdough RecipeIngredients:

1 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

1 c. water

1 tbsp. oil

2 tsp. cream of tartar

Food coloring by drops

Directions: 1. Combine all ingredients in a pan and stir. Cook over low heat, stirring until a ball forms. 2. Add food coloring and mix thoroughly until desired color. 3. Cool on foil. Store in covered container

Maci is 4 weeks now!

2008-09-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

I guess if you take enough pictures, you are bound to get one with a smile in it!
"Two, count that two hour break is all you get Mom, then it's time for me to eat again"
Love the wink! Don't you?
Look at those long skinny legs!
Now we know where the term "baby blues" came from!

Cat guy?

2008-09-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today, Chloe gave me the best laugh ever! I love three yr olds! They are so funny! We were out and about and ran into a friend of mine who said "hi" to Chloe. Chloe did not respond. For our VERY talkative 3 yr old, this was a little strange. So I said to her "What? Does the cat got your tongue?" She didn't say anything. I guess she was thinking about it. Once we got in the car, she said "Moma, what does the Cat Guy look like?" I really had to think long and hard about what she was asking. Once it hit me, I knew! Instead of hearing "Cat got" she heard "cat guy" LOL Then she kept repeating, "the cat guy has my tongue" LOL So funny!

All Clean!

2008-09-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist bringing Maci up from the basement like this! I had my laundry, and I had her! She got a nice ride!

Our Annual Apple Picking Fun

2008-09-15T09:44:00.001-07:00

Emma flying her plane! She did NOT want to get out!

Chloe and Emma posing for the first pict of the day!
We had to get a family photo! Remember, I am only 3 weeks post pardum here...I felt so bloated...first day back in pre-preg clothes!
Chloe on the pony rides!
Chloe flying her plane!
Extended family watching the pig races together!

We had so much fun at Apple Fest this year! Steve's family was all in town and met us there! This increased the hands to keep up with Chloe and Emma! We had never gone during Apple Fest! This was the first year for us to experience everything! Chloe loved the pony rides, Emma loved the airplane rides, and we all enjoyed the pig races. It was so cute...some of the pigs were named: Hamma Montana, Shaqielle O'squeal...so fun! We had a great day, and ended it with hot apple pies (homemade of course!)

Three weeks already?

2008-09-10T06:54:00.001-07:00

These pictures make her look so much bigger then she is. I can not believe she is three weeks now. It totally breaks my heart how fast the time is flying by. I want to enjoy every moment, at the moment...not look back and regret that I didn't cherish it while it was in front of me. Maci is awake a little more in the day and I am loving the interaction that we are getting. I love being a mommy of a newborn!

Our little artist...

2008-09-08T17:53:00.000-07:00

Chloe continues to amaze us with her artistic abilities! We were not so excited to share her artwork with everyone the last time she tested her abilities. She painted the bathroom...brown...need I say more? Tonight, she drew a picture of a little boy in her preschool class. So cute!

Maci's first bath...

2008-09-05T20:06:00.001-07:00

So I don't think Maci enjoyed her first bath! She pretty much screamed thru the whole thing. It was so nice to actually soap her up! Steve had been waiting for this day since she was born! Take note of her modesty...I'm trying hard to raise these girls right! LOL She smelled so good with her baby lotion on. She is sleeping soundly...just waiting for me to go to bed so she can wake up to eat again! I swear they have a radar!

Maci's 2 week appt

2008-09-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

Maci weighed in at 7 lbs and 9 oz, which is 15 oz more then when she left the hospital! Go Maci! This puts her in the 25% for weight! She was 21 1/4 inches today! This is a whole inch longer then when she was born...I just can't blink...she grows! It was so strange sitting there in the pedi's office...I had no questions for him this go around. I guess it's true, you become a little more laid back with each child. She goes back in two weeks, then not again until 2 months of age. She is still wearing mostly premie outfits, but I am starting to work in some newborn things! Oh and she gets her first bath tonight! I can't wait! I hope she loves it! The picts will be posted later tonight, I am sure!

Girlfriends...

2008-09-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

How on earth would we make it without each other? I love my girlfriends and their wisdom! It's such a blessing to have friends who will look me straight in the eye and tell me what I NEED to hear, not what I WANT to hear! Honesty, trust, laughs...it's so refreshing!

Maybe she does look like Chloe...a little?

2008-09-02T19:35:00.001-07:00

Chloe wanted so badly to hold Maci. I let her after Emma went to bed. So sweet.

Kids will be kids!

2008-09-02T19:26:00.001-07:00

Tonight as Steve got the girls their baths, they played a lot! Evidently Emma wasn't finished. Steve got her out, put lotion on her, combed her hair, and put a fresh diaper and her PJs on her. Next thing you know, she is in the tub with Chloe again...this time fully dressed! Steve was so mad! All I could do was laugh my head off! Kids will be kids!

All that for $3.77???

2008-09-01T11:21:00.001-07:00

Today is "Cheer for chicken" day at Chick-fil-a. This means if you wear a football logo, you get a three piece chicken strip meal for free! So we pulled out our OU stuff, loaded the heard and headed to the mall. On Mondays, it's also church bulletion day at Chick-fil-a, so we took two of those as well. With those you get a free sandwich with the purchase of a drink. So we bought three drinks (totalling $3.77) and got three three piece chicken strips, two sandwichs, and I had a coupon for a free milkshake with any purchase! Not bad, huh?

This momma knows if she wants to enjoy the finer things in life (like Chick-fil-a) then she has to play her cards smart! This pict to the side is of the girls in their OU garb. Steve was one proud daddy! And full, too!

As for Maci, she was gracious enough last night to let me sleep three hours between feedings. It was so nice! Today she is wanting to eat every 2 hours. Guess she is going thru a growth spurt. It's so sad how quickly they change. I have a feeling that she is going to be momma's girl!