Is there anyone out there that doesn't love fall? I love almost everything about it! The pumpkins, apples, cider, candles, school starting, cooler weather, football, great tv, sweaters, scarves, leaves, ahhh! I do get seasonal allergies, so that is the only bummer, but I wish fall would last longer.
This fall is especially exciting because little guy is set to make his arrival in less than a month, November 1. I can't believe how fast his due date is approaching! I still have several things I would like done before the big day (that could even be 2 weeks later than the 1st) so I have a bit of anxiety about finishing them. I have yet to pack my bags, finish up his room, deep clean the house, re-decorate the office, buy a few more baby items, and probably something else that I'm forgetting for the moment. I would love for the girls to be sleeping better at night too, but that's really up to Hadley since she is the one that can't stay in her bed when we shut the door.
One thing I did complete that was hanging around in the back of my mind is freezer cooking. I made almost 40 meals before Hadley was born and it was so so nice to have them ready whenever I didn't feel like cooking (most of the time). This time around I decided to make more than last time and it took a few days, but I finally finished everything up on Monday. What a relief to have that out of the way!
I am just so tired midday... like just now, I had an overwhelming urge to go up to my room and take a nap. Of course, as soon as the idea popped into my head, I can't focus on anything else. I must nap. I must nap. I must nap. That does it. I'm off.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Hoppy Birthday, Hadley!
The time has come for us to celebrate sweet Hadley's 2nd birthday! Her actual birthday was a few weeks ago, but because my parents wanted to be here for the party and they couldn't come until the end of the month, we decided to wait. Aside from the joy of having her grandparents here to celebrate, it's always nice to have them help in the party preparation. Thanks for all of the help, Mom and Dad! We couldn't have done it so smoothly without you!
I decided on a "bunny" theme for this party. Hadley's bedroom decor is bunnies and she has a couple stuffed bunnies that she loves. Not only that, I started planning for this party after Blair's was over in February and took advantage of Easter decorations after they clearanced out. I didn't want the decor to scream "Easter" though, so I chose just rabbits, not eggs or chicks or anything else. I think it turned out really well.
The weather was pretty great- a dryish 80 degrees and sunny which made me very happy because having 30 people in my living room stresses me out and the nice weather allowed us to keep everything, for the most part, outside. I think everyone had a good time and people hung around for an hour longer than planned. Miss Hadley was so wound up from all her friends and birthday treats that she didn't fall asleep until 11 pm! Definitely a 2 year old success!
I was able to take a few pictures, but will add more whenever my mom sends them to me. It's hard to be a good hostess and take pictures at the same time. Here are the few that I did get. Enjoy!
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| The Cake Table |
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| Mini Carrot Cakes for the kiddos and Round Carrot Cake for the adults |
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| The Party Favors: Rabbit Whiskers and Noses, Annie's Bunny " Carrots" and Lindt Chocolate Carrots all to be placed in the little take-home bags |
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| The bucket and the porcelain rabbit were from Target |
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| The Food: "Shriveled Carrots" (Cheetos), Fruit Salad, Spring Salad, Veggies and Hummus. We also had hamburgers but they were grilling at the time of the photo. |
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| "Carrot Juice" |
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| Fun paper straws from Hobby Lobby |
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| "Happy Birthday" to the birthday girl |
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| Taking it all in |
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| Blowing out her two candles |
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| Make a wish! |
Saturday, August 17, 2013
To Flip or Not To Flip... Update Added
I'm sure many of you have seen the t.v. shows about house flipping or maybe you know someone personally who has flipped a house or two. I have to admit, I am a sucker for such shows and find real estate in general so intriguing. I plan to get my real estate license as soon as my kids are all in school and I have time during the day to show houses and meet with clients... I wish I could do it sooner than that, but I know that it wouldn't be good for me to try to juggle being constantly available with the needs of three small children that need what they need when they need it. As much as I would love to drop everything sometimes and just pop over to check out a house, it wouldn't happen that easily. All that to say, I still dream about real estate and house flipping often and find myself perusing the MLS during free time in my day.
Recently, I found a property that was listed low for the area and had a lot to offer with some love-- perfect for flipping. I showed it to Mark and he agreed to drive by and check it out on the outside. Now, a little sidebar on Mark's flipping feelings (see what I did there? ha), he is also intrigued by house flipping and would love to grow his business savvy with additional properties, either in rental form or flips. However, he can be very wishy-washy when it comes down to actually taking steps forward to make a possible investment as big as a house a reality. It can become frustrating for both of us because he sends me mixed messages about whether he is really interested or not, and he probably finds my persistence in searching annoying. Communication, then, as in anything, is key. Okay, so back to the house we went to see. It needed a lot of love-- the bushes and trees were overgrown (no problem for us since that is Mark's area of expertise), the siding was dark and dreary and in need of paint, the roof was sad and the street, while in a wonderful location as far as schools and desirability, was busier than we would prefer which may have lead to longer sit time on the market. And that was just the outside. We knew from the pictures that the inside was very dated and needed a new kitchen and bathrooms (there were 3 bathrooms) and paint and flooring. Since it was so well priced though, it was worth a drive over for sure.
We emailed the listing to two people: Mark's former boss/sort of business partner for landscaping and our realtor friend. Both thought it was a great location and a good deal, depending on the amount of work needed, but they weren't sure if it would almost be a wash with all of the things needed to spruce it up and the busier street. That was enough proof for Mark to call it DOA. Sad. I will say that someone else agreed with my feelings for the place and snapped it up a week later. I'm willing to bet it was an investor too. Ah well, keep moving forward.
That leads me to yesterday's MLS find... a 3 bed, 3 bath bi-level in a very good location, though not as desirable as the last. This isn't on an overly busy street and oddly enough, it's right next door to a house owned by some of our friends. Like the other house, this one needs love. It has many of the same issues as the last, except this one is 30k cheaper... and it seems like the seller (maybe a bank?) is getting sick of holding it because the price has dropped 3 times since it was originally listed. Mark was enticed by the price, but again, when I wanted to drive by, he seemed to lose interest. We talked about it in more detail, which was good, because we were able to explain how each other was feeling, and at this point, haven't made any decisions. We did ask our realtor friend what he thought it could sell for all fixed up... depending on what is needed, we could make a nice little profit if we went ahead and made it our first official flip. Or, we could break even... but we likely wouldn't lose money. It's hard to take risks when money is involved. Still in the contemplation stage... to flip or not to flip.
What about you? Have you ever flipped a house?
**Update on the 3 bed/3bath mentioned above. We went to see it today and it was r.o.u.g.h. We would basically need to gut most of it and start over. When we added up the cost of the work needed, we decided that unless they dropped it another 20k, we probably wouldn't make enough of a profit for it to have been worth the trouble. Interestingly enough, when we got home from seeing it, it was no longer listed on the MLS... so maybe someone felt like it was a deal after all... or they lowballed. Either way, it wasn't meant to be for us. We will find something one day and get our flip on then.
Recently, I found a property that was listed low for the area and had a lot to offer with some love-- perfect for flipping. I showed it to Mark and he agreed to drive by and check it out on the outside. Now, a little sidebar on Mark's flipping feelings (see what I did there? ha), he is also intrigued by house flipping and would love to grow his business savvy with additional properties, either in rental form or flips. However, he can be very wishy-washy when it comes down to actually taking steps forward to make a possible investment as big as a house a reality. It can become frustrating for both of us because he sends me mixed messages about whether he is really interested or not, and he probably finds my persistence in searching annoying. Communication, then, as in anything, is key. Okay, so back to the house we went to see. It needed a lot of love-- the bushes and trees were overgrown (no problem for us since that is Mark's area of expertise), the siding was dark and dreary and in need of paint, the roof was sad and the street, while in a wonderful location as far as schools and desirability, was busier than we would prefer which may have lead to longer sit time on the market. And that was just the outside. We knew from the pictures that the inside was very dated and needed a new kitchen and bathrooms (there were 3 bathrooms) and paint and flooring. Since it was so well priced though, it was worth a drive over for sure.
We emailed the listing to two people: Mark's former boss/sort of business partner for landscaping and our realtor friend. Both thought it was a great location and a good deal, depending on the amount of work needed, but they weren't sure if it would almost be a wash with all of the things needed to spruce it up and the busier street. That was enough proof for Mark to call it DOA. Sad. I will say that someone else agreed with my feelings for the place and snapped it up a week later. I'm willing to bet it was an investor too. Ah well, keep moving forward.
That leads me to yesterday's MLS find... a 3 bed, 3 bath bi-level in a very good location, though not as desirable as the last. This isn't on an overly busy street and oddly enough, it's right next door to a house owned by some of our friends. Like the other house, this one needs love. It has many of the same issues as the last, except this one is 30k cheaper... and it seems like the seller (maybe a bank?) is getting sick of holding it because the price has dropped 3 times since it was originally listed. Mark was enticed by the price, but again, when I wanted to drive by, he seemed to lose interest. We talked about it in more detail, which was good, because we were able to explain how each other was feeling, and at this point, haven't made any decisions. We did ask our realtor friend what he thought it could sell for all fixed up... depending on what is needed, we could make a nice little profit if we went ahead and made it our first official flip. Or, we could break even... but we likely wouldn't lose money. It's hard to take risks when money is involved. Still in the contemplation stage... to flip or not to flip.
What about you? Have you ever flipped a house?
**Update on the 3 bed/3bath mentioned above. We went to see it today and it was r.o.u.g.h. We would basically need to gut most of it and start over. When we added up the cost of the work needed, we decided that unless they dropped it another 20k, we probably wouldn't make enough of a profit for it to have been worth the trouble. Interestingly enough, when we got home from seeing it, it was no longer listed on the MLS... so maybe someone felt like it was a deal after all... or they lowballed. Either way, it wasn't meant to be for us. We will find something one day and get our flip on then.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
UGH, Attitude
Maybe I'm feeling this way because I am pregnant and hormonal, but SOME PEOPLE need to learn manners. The "people" I am actually referring to is one person, a potential buyer for the SUV we are trying to sell. We have it posted on craigslist in four different nearby locations and have had it there since May, dropping the price every so often and getting tired of seeing it sit out in front of our house.
Well, in the last couple of days, we have had some interest, one person in particular, a lady we will call "Amy." She saw the ad in the place about an hour away and her first email was harmless enough, aside from the first sentence whining that something must be wrong with email because she sent her message 3 times. Okay, lady... sounds great. I only got it once and then I immediately responded because like anyone wanting to sell something, the sooner we get money the better. Mere minutes after I press send, I get a reply where she asks how much I want, says she needs to get confirmation from the loan officer and the car looks pretty nice. I then, of course, tell her that I would like the price I asked in the listing (duh) and question her use of a loan officer because in the first email, she wrote, "I deal only FACE to FACE and I can pay CASH." It is my understanding that when you get a loan, you do not walk out with cash, but instead a certified check. Her reply, another minute later, was that the price was fine and she would pay cash. All of this is a little weird to me because of the way her emails are worded, but as a seller, I don't want to lose the sale if it is, in fact, legit, so the emails continue on. She asks for the history and records and I tell her what I know and that I do have a copy of the carfax report that is still current and did cost us $40.00 to obtain, something we didn't have to do or offer. I offer it to her and then I get a reply about where to find car history reports on line, how she won't buy without one, and then sprinkles in all these verbs that really turned me off. "You will do this, you will do that, etc." I don't know if her approach is to try to have the upper hand or to sound strong and in control so that I won't take advantage of her, but it comes off as so rude to me! Please, talk to me like an adult and one that has something you seem to want to boot. At this point, I am definitely annoyed by her tone, but I send her a copy of the carfax and tell her we can meet whenever she would like. Her reply? I will just copy and paste it so you can get the full effect:
"sorry but the report must be up to date from today
just shoot me an email once you get the report and will talk about our meeting and you will show me the report when we will meet. (you will keep the report and present it to me in person)"
Again, with all of the condescension. It really irritates me how she is writing to me. Is it just me or is she being totally rude? Part of me wants to call her out on it and the other part just wants to sell the stupid car so I will do anything to keep the sale, including being verbally trampled on. I haven't written back yet... What would you do?
Well, in the last couple of days, we have had some interest, one person in particular, a lady we will call "Amy." She saw the ad in the place about an hour away and her first email was harmless enough, aside from the first sentence whining that something must be wrong with email because she sent her message 3 times. Okay, lady... sounds great. I only got it once and then I immediately responded because like anyone wanting to sell something, the sooner we get money the better. Mere minutes after I press send, I get a reply where she asks how much I want, says she needs to get confirmation from the loan officer and the car looks pretty nice. I then, of course, tell her that I would like the price I asked in the listing (duh) and question her use of a loan officer because in the first email, she wrote, "I deal only FACE to FACE and I can pay CASH." It is my understanding that when you get a loan, you do not walk out with cash, but instead a certified check. Her reply, another minute later, was that the price was fine and she would pay cash. All of this is a little weird to me because of the way her emails are worded, but as a seller, I don't want to lose the sale if it is, in fact, legit, so the emails continue on. She asks for the history and records and I tell her what I know and that I do have a copy of the carfax report that is still current and did cost us $40.00 to obtain, something we didn't have to do or offer. I offer it to her and then I get a reply about where to find car history reports on line, how she won't buy without one, and then sprinkles in all these verbs that really turned me off. "You will do this, you will do that, etc." I don't know if her approach is to try to have the upper hand or to sound strong and in control so that I won't take advantage of her, but it comes off as so rude to me! Please, talk to me like an adult and one that has something you seem to want to boot. At this point, I am definitely annoyed by her tone, but I send her a copy of the carfax and tell her we can meet whenever she would like. Her reply? I will just copy and paste it so you can get the full effect:
"sorry but the report must be up to date from today
i am at work now. i told you that you can get the report from the page that i have sent you or any car dealer approved by the dmv
Again, with all of the condescension. It really irritates me how she is writing to me. Is it just me or is she being totally rude? Part of me wants to call her out on it and the other part just wants to sell the stupid car so I will do anything to keep the sale, including being verbally trampled on. I haven't written back yet... What would you do?
Friday, June 14, 2013
Hadley Update (Finally!)
So we have been waiting since Monday after the MRI for the results. At Children's they told us that our doctor should call us by Wednesday to let us know what they saw and what our next move would be. By 1 PM on Wednesday, I couldn't take it anymore, so I called the doctor and spoke to the nurse who said the results weren't in yet and the office closed at 5 PM, so if I was going to hear anything, it would be before then. We waited and waited, but nothing Wednesday. Unfortunately, Hadley's doctor is out of the office on Thursdays, so that meant we wouldn't hear back until Friday at the soonest. I waited and waited with my phone next to me at all times this morning until about 2:45 PM when again, I couldn't wait any longer and called them myself. This time, I talked directly to the doctor and when he started the conversation with, "Good news, very good news..." I couldn't help but tear up and mentally thank God.
The doctor said that the MRI revealed Hadley has a vascular malformation under her skin. He likened it to the hemangioma birthmark that developed on her back when she was about 10 days old and should disappear when she is school aged. The only difference between the two is that one is on the outside of her skin and the other is underneath it. He suggested we take her down to Cincinnati Children's Hospital to see a vascular specialist about what to do next, whether to inject it with medicine to shrink it faster or what. I told him that we have noticed it has shrunken since he first saw it and he was excited to hear that, saying that instead of going to Cincinnati, we could just wait and see if it completely disappears on its own. He said he would check it out at her 2 year old well check in August unless it started to grow again, in which case we would head down to Cincinnati after all. Overall, he said we could rest assured that the MRI revealed good things.
It is so terrifying to think that your child could have some kind of life-threatening illness or disease and as much as I have tried to put it out of my mind, fear of losing her still creeps in and hits me out of nowhere sometimes. It has made me appreciate my Hadley so much more and cherish my time with her. I feel like I've loved her better in the last month and a half than I loved her before. We are just so thankful to God for protecting her. God is so good!
The doctor said that the MRI revealed Hadley has a vascular malformation under her skin. He likened it to the hemangioma birthmark that developed on her back when she was about 10 days old and should disappear when she is school aged. The only difference between the two is that one is on the outside of her skin and the other is underneath it. He suggested we take her down to Cincinnati Children's Hospital to see a vascular specialist about what to do next, whether to inject it with medicine to shrink it faster or what. I told him that we have noticed it has shrunken since he first saw it and he was excited to hear that, saying that instead of going to Cincinnati, we could just wait and see if it completely disappears on its own. He said he would check it out at her 2 year old well check in August unless it started to grow again, in which case we would head down to Cincinnati after all. Overall, he said we could rest assured that the MRI revealed good things.
It is so terrifying to think that your child could have some kind of life-threatening illness or disease and as much as I have tried to put it out of my mind, fear of losing her still creeps in and hits me out of nowhere sometimes. It has made me appreciate my Hadley so much more and cherish my time with her. I feel like I've loved her better in the last month and a half than I loved her before. We are just so thankful to God for protecting her. God is so good!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
We are having...
A BOY!
I'm still in shock. Mark had me so convinced the baby would be a girl and to be honest, although we have a name for each gender picked out, I really love our girl name and only really like our boy name. I do love our boy middle name because it has special meaning to my family, but I might be open to changing the first name if I hear or see something I like better. If you are wondering if I am the sole decision maker on names, I'm not... but I am usually the only coming up with names, then initial approval is Mark's job and I think I have the final say.
I don't know what to think of a boy either! I have only ever known girls. We have some gender neutral things for babies, but many, many girl specific things too! I've collected a few clothes for boys at garage sales or whatever with hopes of one day using them, but the reality of actually using them is kind of overwhelming!
I'm happy for a boy, I think! I know that if we had had another girl, I might have doubted the chance of ever experiencing what a boy would be like. And I loved seeing Mark be so happy when he saw that little boy part. He immediately started talking about throwing a ball with him and passing on the business. I told him that he can play ball with the girls too.
The only thing that could have been better about the ultrasound was the tech couldn't get the best view of the baby's heart. He wouldn't put his arm down and out of the way. She said that she did her best and if the doctor looked it over and thought he needed to see more, we would have to come in again for another ultrasound. She said she didn't see anything alarming, but just to be aware that if the doctor did want us to come back, it was to get a better view. Hopefully all is well with little guy's heart.
That's the news around here! Hadley had her MRI on Monday and the procedure went very well. We are still waiting on the results and hopefully they will call tomorrow with them. I am trying my best to trust that God is in control and that He will protect her. Please continue to pray if you feel so led. Thank you!
I'm still in shock. Mark had me so convinced the baby would be a girl and to be honest, although we have a name for each gender picked out, I really love our girl name and only really like our boy name. I do love our boy middle name because it has special meaning to my family, but I might be open to changing the first name if I hear or see something I like better. If you are wondering if I am the sole decision maker on names, I'm not... but I am usually the only coming up with names, then initial approval is Mark's job and I think I have the final say.
I don't know what to think of a boy either! I have only ever known girls. We have some gender neutral things for babies, but many, many girl specific things too! I've collected a few clothes for boys at garage sales or whatever with hopes of one day using them, but the reality of actually using them is kind of overwhelming!
I'm happy for a boy, I think! I know that if we had had another girl, I might have doubted the chance of ever experiencing what a boy would be like. And I loved seeing Mark be so happy when he saw that little boy part. He immediately started talking about throwing a ball with him and passing on the business. I told him that he can play ball with the girls too.
The only thing that could have been better about the ultrasound was the tech couldn't get the best view of the baby's heart. He wouldn't put his arm down and out of the way. She said that she did her best and if the doctor looked it over and thought he needed to see more, we would have to come in again for another ultrasound. She said she didn't see anything alarming, but just to be aware that if the doctor did want us to come back, it was to get a better view. Hopefully all is well with little guy's heart.
That's the news around here! Hadley had her MRI on Monday and the procedure went very well. We are still waiting on the results and hopefully they will call tomorrow with them. I am trying my best to trust that God is in control and that He will protect her. Please continue to pray if you feel so led. Thank you!
Friday, May 31, 2013
One Grain More
Someone posted this on facebook this morning and it went right along with my mini rant about gluten, so I had to share! Pretty funny stuff... enjoy!
Thursday, May 30, 2013
News, News, News
Sorry for the long delay in posts, all. I have been busy, busy with life... the usual excuse, I guess. I have a few updates for you...
First up, we can discuss Hadley's arm... although no actual progress has been made, we have finally scheduled an appointment for an MRI on June 10. She will need to be sedated so they can get the clearest picture possible, so that is a little scary and we will hate to see her strapped down and knocked out. The MRI should tell us more about the lump (ie. where it is located within her arm, whether it is part of her muscles or veins, how to best reach it for biopsy, etc). As far as we know, the only changes we have noticed are in color. At first, it looked like a slight bruise and over time, it has gotten darker blue and now is greenish. It's weird to see a bruise on someone's skin for over a month. Please continue to pray that she will be healed and this is nothing too serious.
Secondly, we are heading up to MN tomorrow. I'm pretty excited... I haven't been back to the homeland since Christmas of 2011, so I am looking forward to seeing some of my closest friends and of course, my family. It may be the last time my family is all together there because both brothers are planning to move before year's end. We will have to make the most of it! The drive out and back is the only thing I am dreading... hopefully it will go smoothly. *Update: Since I began this post, we have completed the dreaded drive out and are enjoying all MN has to offer. So far, that has included an Origami Owl jewelry bar hosted by my mom, cheering for my sister in law, Tishri, in the Med City Half Marathon (I hope to run this race next year while I am in operation lose baby weight), a feverish day for Hadley, a night away in the cities with Mark for our 8th anniversary, a visit to Mall of America, a trip to the library, time with cousins and lots of gloomy weather and rain. It has rained at least once a day every day we've been here... in fact, it's raining now. Thankfully the girls and I will be here for another week, so in that time we should get a chance to see the sun and play outside. We will also be getting together with some dear friends and their kids, so there is a lot to look forward to before we make the trek home... seriously, if you would like to pray for that, I would love it. Mark drove out here with us and stayed a few days, but had to get back to work, so he flew home, which leaves me to drive us home. Normally, this wouldn't be as bad as it seems to be now because I would probably attempt to drive through the night or drink all the caffeine I wanted. However, that is where life happening number three comes in...
If you haven't figured it out or have been hiding under a rock, I am pregnant with #3! I am 17 weeks along and feeling pretty good, except that I am just exhausted. Even with a good night's sleep and half a cup of coffee in the morning, by 2pm I am beat. The mere thought of driving 11 hours home with two whiny kids makes me very anxious. If need be, I will stop mid way and get a hotel room, but even that doesn't sound appealing because we don't do that well sleeping in the same room. If I must, I must, though. ANYWAY, back to the BABY! We found out we were expecting the day before my birthday when we were down at the beach in Florida. He or she is due November 4th. Mark would love to have a boy, as would I, but we have a name picked out for either and we have everything done for a girl and we would love her all the same. I pray little Acker is healthy and strong. I have been feeling movement for a couple weeks so that is nice reassurance for me that all is well in there. Most of my food aversions have gone away, but I do give in to cravings the majority of the time. I was very sick for the first trimester-- between nausea, vomiting, and migraines, I will admit that most of life's daily duties went ignored. But now that my energy is coming back, I can tackle housework and sometimes cooking more often and make our house feel like home and not the eye of a tornado once again.
So that is my rambling update for you guys. Sorry that took so long... you would think that with all that down time from being sick that I would have had time to write, but all I wanted to write about was the baby and we weren't sharing about the pregnancy yet! Such a dilemma! Until next time!
First up, we can discuss Hadley's arm... although no actual progress has been made, we have finally scheduled an appointment for an MRI on June 10. She will need to be sedated so they can get the clearest picture possible, so that is a little scary and we will hate to see her strapped down and knocked out. The MRI should tell us more about the lump (ie. where it is located within her arm, whether it is part of her muscles or veins, how to best reach it for biopsy, etc). As far as we know, the only changes we have noticed are in color. At first, it looked like a slight bruise and over time, it has gotten darker blue and now is greenish. It's weird to see a bruise on someone's skin for over a month. Please continue to pray that she will be healed and this is nothing too serious.
Secondly, we are heading up to MN tomorrow. I'm pretty excited... I haven't been back to the homeland since Christmas of 2011, so I am looking forward to seeing some of my closest friends and of course, my family. It may be the last time my family is all together there because both brothers are planning to move before year's end. We will have to make the most of it! The drive out and back is the only thing I am dreading... hopefully it will go smoothly. *Update: Since I began this post, we have completed the dreaded drive out and are enjoying all MN has to offer. So far, that has included an Origami Owl jewelry bar hosted by my mom, cheering for my sister in law, Tishri, in the Med City Half Marathon (I hope to run this race next year while I am in operation lose baby weight), a feverish day for Hadley, a night away in the cities with Mark for our 8th anniversary, a visit to Mall of America, a trip to the library, time with cousins and lots of gloomy weather and rain. It has rained at least once a day every day we've been here... in fact, it's raining now. Thankfully the girls and I will be here for another week, so in that time we should get a chance to see the sun and play outside. We will also be getting together with some dear friends and their kids, so there is a lot to look forward to before we make the trek home... seriously, if you would like to pray for that, I would love it. Mark drove out here with us and stayed a few days, but had to get back to work, so he flew home, which leaves me to drive us home. Normally, this wouldn't be as bad as it seems to be now because I would probably attempt to drive through the night or drink all the caffeine I wanted. However, that is where life happening number three comes in...
If you haven't figured it out or have been hiding under a rock, I am pregnant with #3! I am 17 weeks along and feeling pretty good, except that I am just exhausted. Even with a good night's sleep and half a cup of coffee in the morning, by 2pm I am beat. The mere thought of driving 11 hours home with two whiny kids makes me very anxious. If need be, I will stop mid way and get a hotel room, but even that doesn't sound appealing because we don't do that well sleeping in the same room. If I must, I must, though. ANYWAY, back to the BABY! We found out we were expecting the day before my birthday when we were down at the beach in Florida. He or she is due November 4th. Mark would love to have a boy, as would I, but we have a name picked out for either and we have everything done for a girl and we would love her all the same. I pray little Acker is healthy and strong. I have been feeling movement for a couple weeks so that is nice reassurance for me that all is well in there. Most of my food aversions have gone away, but I do give in to cravings the majority of the time. I was very sick for the first trimester-- between nausea, vomiting, and migraines, I will admit that most of life's daily duties went ignored. But now that my energy is coming back, I can tackle housework and sometimes cooking more often and make our house feel like home and not the eye of a tornado once again.
So that is my rambling update for you guys. Sorry that took so long... you would think that with all that down time from being sick that I would have had time to write, but all I wanted to write about was the baby and we weren't sharing about the pregnancy yet! Such a dilemma! Until next time!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Prayer Request
Hello Readers!
I know it's been a long time since I last updated the blog, but we have been busy and I haven't felt like I've had enough time to sit down and write for a while. Right now, though, I have a prayer request for you to consider as it is weighing on my heart.
Last Wednesday began as a regular day and it must have been raining because Mark was home for a little while in the morning. We were playing with the girls and I noticed a strange bulge on Hadley's arm, up near her shoulder. It was pretty large, maybe the size of a grape and we were instantly concerned. We called her doctor and they said that it could just be a deep bruise so we should watch and see if it changed or went down in size for a few days before calling back.
Well, Monday rolled around and we decided that it was time to take her in because it was still there and Mark would be going out of town for work for 3 days starting the next day, so we wanted to see the doctor before he left. After examining her, he wasn't sure what it was and said at worst, it was a cancerous tumor, at best, a deep bruise or possibly a cyst or hemangioma under the skin. He sent us right away to Children's Hospital to get an X-ray and said he would let us know immediately what the next step should be.
Yesterday, we heard back from him and he said that the good news was that the mass was not attached to any bones, but he did see a mass and was still unsure of what it was and what had caused it. He advised us to next get an MRI done in hopes of finding out more. Apparently, MRIs must be costly because before we can just get it done, his office needs to contact our insurance to ensure they will cover it. We are waiting to hear if we have been approved.
Please pray for little Hadley. Pray that it isn't serious and if it is, that we will have the best doctors to know how to treat her. Pray that we caught it in time. Pray that the insurance will indeed approve the MRI procedure and anything else that may need to be done. Pray that we will have peace as we wait and enjoy our baby girl even more than ever.
Thank you, all!
I know it's been a long time since I last updated the blog, but we have been busy and I haven't felt like I've had enough time to sit down and write for a while. Right now, though, I have a prayer request for you to consider as it is weighing on my heart.
Last Wednesday began as a regular day and it must have been raining because Mark was home for a little while in the morning. We were playing with the girls and I noticed a strange bulge on Hadley's arm, up near her shoulder. It was pretty large, maybe the size of a grape and we were instantly concerned. We called her doctor and they said that it could just be a deep bruise so we should watch and see if it changed or went down in size for a few days before calling back.
Well, Monday rolled around and we decided that it was time to take her in because it was still there and Mark would be going out of town for work for 3 days starting the next day, so we wanted to see the doctor before he left. After examining her, he wasn't sure what it was and said at worst, it was a cancerous tumor, at best, a deep bruise or possibly a cyst or hemangioma under the skin. He sent us right away to Children's Hospital to get an X-ray and said he would let us know immediately what the next step should be.
Yesterday, we heard back from him and he said that the good news was that the mass was not attached to any bones, but he did see a mass and was still unsure of what it was and what had caused it. He advised us to next get an MRI done in hopes of finding out more. Apparently, MRIs must be costly because before we can just get it done, his office needs to contact our insurance to ensure they will cover it. We are waiting to hear if we have been approved.
Please pray for little Hadley. Pray that it isn't serious and if it is, that we will have the best doctors to know how to treat her. Pray that we caught it in time. Pray that the insurance will indeed approve the MRI procedure and anything else that may need to be done. Pray that we will have peace as we wait and enjoy our baby girl even more than ever.
Thank you, all!
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Little Annoyances
Lately I've been in "a mood." Things that probably should not matter to any sane person have been irritating me. You will probably think I'm crazy when you hear the sort of things that have gotten under my skin... but I need to vent!
So it seems like all these people I know have recently decided to outlaw gluten, so much so that they almost seem judgmental towards us "uninformed" crowd who still partake in gluten goodness. Facebook is inundated with post after post of "know what you are putting in your body" and "wheat toxins" and "my life is so much better now because I'm gluten free" yada, yada, yada. Seriously? I get that some people have celiac's disease where they are allergic to gluten. I also know that it can have an effect on kids with autism so it is good for them to avoid it. It can also hurt those who struggle with fibromialgia, so I understand those with that problem not wanting to eat it. However, most of the population does not fall into these categories and can tolerate gluten just fine. I'm happy to be able to enjoy all that gluten has to offer. I love whole wheat bread and pasta. I love that I don't have to spend an arm and a leg to buy gluten free rice flour. I love that I don't have to limit my dining out to places that only provide gluten free options (that are usually gross, IMO). As long as this body can handle good food, I'm going to eat it. Maybe you would like to restrict yourself, that's cool, it's your body and your decision. Just please don't judge me when I eat a sandwich, bread and all. I don't need you to tell me that I am poisoning my body. I'm good, thanks.
So that's how I really feel. I'm not sure why this bothers me so much. It really does bug me! Is there anything in particular that has been driving you crazy lately?
So it seems like all these people I know have recently decided to outlaw gluten, so much so that they almost seem judgmental towards us "uninformed" crowd who still partake in gluten goodness. Facebook is inundated with post after post of "know what you are putting in your body" and "wheat toxins" and "my life is so much better now because I'm gluten free" yada, yada, yada. Seriously? I get that some people have celiac's disease where they are allergic to gluten. I also know that it can have an effect on kids with autism so it is good for them to avoid it. It can also hurt those who struggle with fibromialgia, so I understand those with that problem not wanting to eat it. However, most of the population does not fall into these categories and can tolerate gluten just fine. I'm happy to be able to enjoy all that gluten has to offer. I love whole wheat bread and pasta. I love that I don't have to spend an arm and a leg to buy gluten free rice flour. I love that I don't have to limit my dining out to places that only provide gluten free options (that are usually gross, IMO). As long as this body can handle good food, I'm going to eat it. Maybe you would like to restrict yourself, that's cool, it's your body and your decision. Just please don't judge me when I eat a sandwich, bread and all. I don't need you to tell me that I am poisoning my body. I'm good, thanks.
So that's how I really feel. I'm not sure why this bothers me so much. It really does bug me! Is there anything in particular that has been driving you crazy lately?
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Blair's Winter Wonderland
Although everything did not turn out exactly how I had envisioned it, I think things looked pretty good overall. These are the pictures I took with my phone so they aren't the best quality. I should probably look into getting a nicer camera some day...
So there you have it, everyone! The only pictures my frostbitten fingers could manage that day are all right here for your viewing pleasure. Like I said before, I'm just glad it's finally over! Onto the next birthday party that is thankfully in the summer!
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| This is the beautiful shelter we were able to secure for the morning. Blair's banner is one of my favorite decorations! I used scrapbook paper and cut the letters out with my cricut. The hanging snowflakes were from Menard's. |
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| The food theme was brunch. Instead of my typical fruit salad, I wanted to do something handheld. Mini fruit pizzas were super easy and so pretty! They were a hit! |
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| After the last birthday party cake fiasco, I went with the ever-trustworthy Sam's Club for all things cake. This round cake and thirty cupcakes came to a beautiful 28 dollars and they tasted delicious! Please note that those strange little groupings of tiny balls on the "4" cake were a bad decision add-on on my part. I should have left the original plain cake alone. If only someone had been there to say, "Step away from the sprinkles!" |
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| I wish you could see this better- my mom has a better picture so maybe I will swap this one out when I get her copy. Anyway, this was the hot chocolate bar. My sickie brain forgot the whipped cream in the fridge at home, but the toppings we remembered were mini marshmallows, toffee bits, mint chocolate chips and chocolate jimmies. As you can probably imagine, this station was highly frequented. |
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| These were the centerpieces I made. Mark collected the tree branches from his landscaping shop and we assembled them the night before. I loved how they turned out. |
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| I found these giant teal ornaments at Menard's (Who knew??) and placed them on both sides of the fire. |
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| Here is the birthday girl with her daddy and buddy, J. They were taking advantage of the fire, of course! |
So there you have it, everyone! The only pictures my frostbitten fingers could manage that day are all right here for your viewing pleasure. Like I said before, I'm just glad it's finally over! Onto the next birthday party that is thankfully in the summer!
Oh Hey, Pink Eye! So Glad You Could Make It!
Phew! Blair's birthday party is officially done and on the books! What a whirlwind of a week leading up to the party! I have to say, I'm so glad it's over. Here is a recap...
We drove back into town around 1:15 AM on Tuesday morning. Blair has Tuesday School every Tuesday morning and because we had been driving the entire day before, I decided that if the girls slept in, we would skip school. Little Miss had other plans and got up at the regular time of 7:30, leaving us plenty of time to get ready for school. No one could believe it when I told them we had pulled in just that morning a few hours earlier. We managed to make it through the day fine, but I just didn't have the energy to do any party prep-- typical procrastinator.
Wednesday was much of the same, everyone just trying to get back into the daily groove. Mark went to work and by the time he got home, I was ready to get out of the house and run some birthday errands. He agreed and when I went into the bathroom to get myself ready to go, I noticed my right eye was very red. I wear contacts, so red eyes aren't totally uncommon, but this was different and I knew at once that it was probably pink eye. Since we had to get the cake ordered and some food purchased, I wore my glasses and we went anyway.
The next morning, I awoke with crusties around my eyelashes. I went to Urgent Care and the doctor there confirmed my suspicions, giving me ointment and a heads up that it could show up in my other eye too. At this point, I had developed a pretty yucky sinus cold that was also affecting my chest. I really wanted to call off the party, or at least postpone it, but my parents had left MN to drive all the way out here just for the party and I couldn't cancel. So I hoped the ointment worked, washed my hands, wore my glasses and went on with the show.
Friday morning, I woke up to a new surprise: the pink eye had now entered my left eye. Also, my voice was very hoarse and my throat was on fire. It was going to be a great day! My parents had arrived safely the night before, so my mom and I went to work, getting the last of the groceries and baking up a storm. I also made the birthday banner and centerpieces. We worked long into the evening and were exhausted when bedtime finally came.
Saturday morning was the day of the party! We rented out a local park shelter that had a lovely fireplace, complete with firewood. The party started at 11, so my goal was to be there by 9 to start setting up. Timing didn't work out that well and we didn't arrive until closer to 10. The shelter is outdoors, but I figured by early March it wouldn't be miserably too cold, especially with a fire raging and a propane heater blowing. I figured totally wrong as it was in the 20's that day. Our fingers were freezing as we tried to hang banners and decorate things... my grand idea of how it would look did not come to fruition, but all things considered (freezing cold, I felt like trash, etc) it looked pretty nice.
Sadly, even though several of Blair's little pals were invited, only 3 came. Some were out of town, others had family visiting, one was even being punished for being naughty and her punishment was that she couldn't come to the party. Also, the original plan for the "fun" part of the party was that the kids could go sledding. That was a no-go because even though there were small, light flakes falling, there was not nearly enough snow to sled on. The party was supposed to go from 11-1, but because everyone was so cold (we spent the whole time huddled around the fireplace or the propane heater), things started to break up around 12:15. I feel a little bit sad about how it all went down, but honestly, I was super cold myself and feeling completely awful that I couldn't wait to get out of there either.
Will it go down as the worst birthday party in history? Maybe? But amazingly, despite being cold and having so few friends show up, Little Miss wore a smile for most of the day and enjoyed being celebrated. She happily played with her friends, ate her cupcake and explored the stone look-out "castle" behind the shelter. For me, yes, it was just an awful day. But to have made the birthday girl happy, despite everything else, that was worth it all.
We drove back into town around 1:15 AM on Tuesday morning. Blair has Tuesday School every Tuesday morning and because we had been driving the entire day before, I decided that if the girls slept in, we would skip school. Little Miss had other plans and got up at the regular time of 7:30, leaving us plenty of time to get ready for school. No one could believe it when I told them we had pulled in just that morning a few hours earlier. We managed to make it through the day fine, but I just didn't have the energy to do any party prep-- typical procrastinator.
Wednesday was much of the same, everyone just trying to get back into the daily groove. Mark went to work and by the time he got home, I was ready to get out of the house and run some birthday errands. He agreed and when I went into the bathroom to get myself ready to go, I noticed my right eye was very red. I wear contacts, so red eyes aren't totally uncommon, but this was different and I knew at once that it was probably pink eye. Since we had to get the cake ordered and some food purchased, I wore my glasses and we went anyway.
The next morning, I awoke with crusties around my eyelashes. I went to Urgent Care and the doctor there confirmed my suspicions, giving me ointment and a heads up that it could show up in my other eye too. At this point, I had developed a pretty yucky sinus cold that was also affecting my chest. I really wanted to call off the party, or at least postpone it, but my parents had left MN to drive all the way out here just for the party and I couldn't cancel. So I hoped the ointment worked, washed my hands, wore my glasses and went on with the show.
Friday morning, I woke up to a new surprise: the pink eye had now entered my left eye. Also, my voice was very hoarse and my throat was on fire. It was going to be a great day! My parents had arrived safely the night before, so my mom and I went to work, getting the last of the groceries and baking up a storm. I also made the birthday banner and centerpieces. We worked long into the evening and were exhausted when bedtime finally came.
Saturday morning was the day of the party! We rented out a local park shelter that had a lovely fireplace, complete with firewood. The party started at 11, so my goal was to be there by 9 to start setting up. Timing didn't work out that well and we didn't arrive until closer to 10. The shelter is outdoors, but I figured by early March it wouldn't be miserably too cold, especially with a fire raging and a propane heater blowing. I figured totally wrong as it was in the 20's that day. Our fingers were freezing as we tried to hang banners and decorate things... my grand idea of how it would look did not come to fruition, but all things considered (freezing cold, I felt like trash, etc) it looked pretty nice.
Sadly, even though several of Blair's little pals were invited, only 3 came. Some were out of town, others had family visiting, one was even being punished for being naughty and her punishment was that she couldn't come to the party. Also, the original plan for the "fun" part of the party was that the kids could go sledding. That was a no-go because even though there were small, light flakes falling, there was not nearly enough snow to sled on. The party was supposed to go from 11-1, but because everyone was so cold (we spent the whole time huddled around the fireplace or the propane heater), things started to break up around 12:15. I feel a little bit sad about how it all went down, but honestly, I was super cold myself and feeling completely awful that I couldn't wait to get out of there either.
Will it go down as the worst birthday party in history? Maybe? But amazingly, despite being cold and having so few friends show up, Little Miss wore a smile for most of the day and enjoyed being celebrated. She happily played with her friends, ate her cupcake and explored the stone look-out "castle" behind the shelter. For me, yes, it was just an awful day. But to have made the birthday girl happy, despite everything else, that was worth it all.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Disney Pics
These pictures were taken with my phone, so don't judge their quality. Also, my phone pooped out on me about three hours into the day so these were the only pictures we have, other than those that Disney Photo Pass took. At least we have a few to help us always remember that day!
I hope you enjoyed the few pictures we have from that day! We had such a great time and one day, we would love to go back and stay longer and see more!
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| Meeting Alice, Tweedledee, Tweedledum and The White Rabbit |
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| Getting ready to ride Dumbo! |
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| Daddy rode with baby girl |
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| The girls and I meeting Daisy Duck |
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| This was so sweet! I love how she is holding Minnie's face! |
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| Baby girl wasn't shy at all! She grabbed right onto Minnie's nose! |
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| Just us girls with Minnie Mouse |
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| Riding the Carousel |
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| Daddy helped baby girl hang on |
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| Classic shot in front of the castle |
Vacation, Part Two
You all have already heard about the beach part of our vacation, now is the time for the second half of the trip: Avon Park and Disney.
After our long day on the beach, we headed back to Mark's parents' place in Avon Park. It was about an hour and a half drive and by the time we got there, baby girl had fallen asleep. Not good considering it was already about 7 PM and her typical bedtime is 8. She had a hard time falling asleep, especially being in a new place where she was sharing a room with all of us. At first, Mark tried to take our oldest in to rest on the bed next to the pack-n-play, but baby girl wasn't having it. Mark and Blair moved then into the living room where he parked on the couch and she was in her sleeping bag on the floor. After baby girl finally settled down, I went into the room and slept on the bed. It was a rough night's sleep between the coughing (both girls had coughs intermittently throughout the night), lack of AC, and girls waking up here and there. You know those nights when each time you wake up, you hope it is time to get up, just so the night can be over? Yep, it was one of those.
We had planned to stay with Mark's parents for Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights and heading back Tuesday. However, after the night we had, we decided to bump up our days and hit Disney on Sunday instead of Monday. With that, we also decided to get a hotel room for our night after Disney that wasn't far from the park and would be easier to leave from in the morning. That meant, we only had one more night to stay with Mark's parents. Thankfully, they put in the AC window unit in the living room that morning, so it was cooler that night and sleep was a bit easier. There was still coughing, but at least it wasn't so sticky.
I'm getting ahead of myself though- before we went to sleep that night, we spent the day at a state park that featured walks through marshes and native Florida landscaping. During the walk, we got to see a mommy alligator with her three babies! It wasn't close enough to snap at us, but we did get a good view! That was neat! It was nice to get some exercise too. We topped off our walk with some homemade sour orange ice cream that was sold inside the park lodge. It tasted like a dreamsicle! Since it was my actual birthday, Mark's parents kept the girls for us and sent us out on a date to Outback. It had been a long time since we had been there- maybe since before having kids! As we munched our Bloomin' Onion, we looked around the room and asked ourselves which of our friends we would like to retire with... it was an interesting conversation. We enjoyed that time to ourselves celebrating my birthday. Thanks, Mom and Dad Acker!
Sunday morning, we got up bright and early to pack our things into the car and head over to Disney! I was not feeling well- I woke up with a headache (I get migraines quite often). We got on the road and stopped at the first McDonald's we found. After some orange juice, medicine and a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit, I started to feel better and by then, we had arrived at "the happiest place on earth." We got into the park around 9:30 and hit the ground running. First, Blair and I got "Happy Birthday" buttons so that everyone would know we were there celebrating. Next, we headed toward Fantasyland, a new area of the park. Before we got there, we stopped to meet Alice in Wonderland, Tweedledee and Tweedledum and The White Rabbit. Blair liked that and so did I! Then we hit the Dumbo ride and after that, walked over to meet Daisy Duck and Minnie Mouse. At that point, we had purchased an autograph book and pen for signatures, so we have a few in there. Mark took Blair on the Tea Cup ride and I took her on the Speedway cars. Mark took Blair to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Factory while baby girl slept in her stroller with me. Then we got a Fast Pass for The Little Mermaid ride and rode It's a Small World and the carousal while we waited. After Ariel, we caught a parade by the castle and I headed over to get a Fast Pass for Mickey and the Princesses. It turns out I was given confusing information and got the wrong Fast Pass, but Blair was so excited to meet the princesses, so we waited in line to do that, which was worth it when we saw her with them. She met Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel, as well as Mickey Mouse. She just told me this morning that meeting them was her favorite thing about Disney, so I'm glad we waited the half hour we did. We came out just in time to see another parade and the girls loved it, of course. Next, we headed over to Tom Sawyer's Island, which was geared more for older kids, but Mark and I wanted to see it anyway. Blair was pretty scared in the cave- it was pretty dark in there! And it didn't help that the people going through in front of us were scaring each other and shouting. We had dinner at Pecos Bill's and it was super expensive, but we were hungry. Our last "land" of the day was Adventureland. Here, we rode the jungle boat, Aladdin's magic carpets and climbed up the Swiss Family Robinson's treehouse. I bought a Christmas ornament quickly, just before the light show on the Cinderella's Castle began. It was pretty amazing. In order to beat the crowds out, we opted to skip the fireworks and headed back to the car. It was a really long, but totally awesome day! Definitely Blair's most memorable birthday! I'm thankful we were able to get there with the girls!
Both girls were completely exhausted and fell asleep in the car on the drive over to the hotel. We were able to get them right into bed and move everything up to the room without them ever waking up. That night, we all slept like babies.
The next morning, I awoke again with a migraine- this one was not going to go away without a fight. Mark was a trooper and packed everything up, including the girls. We stopped at a Chickfila and the migraine got the best of me- I got sick in a bag after eating a little. I then proceeded to sleep off and on for several hours and finally around 1 PM, I was feeling better. I hate those darn migraines. They come when I don't expect them or at the worst possible times. I try to manage them with minimal medicine, but if they continue to torture me, I might have to get something stronger like my mom uses (my mom and grandma both get them as well).
The drive home went all right. We made it home by 1:15 AM and were happy to sleep in our own beds again. Thanks for reading about our vacation! It's hard not to ramble... sometimes I tried to control that and other times, not so much. I will add some pictures to another post. Time to get baby girl out of bed!
After our long day on the beach, we headed back to Mark's parents' place in Avon Park. It was about an hour and a half drive and by the time we got there, baby girl had fallen asleep. Not good considering it was already about 7 PM and her typical bedtime is 8. She had a hard time falling asleep, especially being in a new place where she was sharing a room with all of us. At first, Mark tried to take our oldest in to rest on the bed next to the pack-n-play, but baby girl wasn't having it. Mark and Blair moved then into the living room where he parked on the couch and she was in her sleeping bag on the floor. After baby girl finally settled down, I went into the room and slept on the bed. It was a rough night's sleep between the coughing (both girls had coughs intermittently throughout the night), lack of AC, and girls waking up here and there. You know those nights when each time you wake up, you hope it is time to get up, just so the night can be over? Yep, it was one of those.
We had planned to stay with Mark's parents for Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights and heading back Tuesday. However, after the night we had, we decided to bump up our days and hit Disney on Sunday instead of Monday. With that, we also decided to get a hotel room for our night after Disney that wasn't far from the park and would be easier to leave from in the morning. That meant, we only had one more night to stay with Mark's parents. Thankfully, they put in the AC window unit in the living room that morning, so it was cooler that night and sleep was a bit easier. There was still coughing, but at least it wasn't so sticky.
I'm getting ahead of myself though- before we went to sleep that night, we spent the day at a state park that featured walks through marshes and native Florida landscaping. During the walk, we got to see a mommy alligator with her three babies! It wasn't close enough to snap at us, but we did get a good view! That was neat! It was nice to get some exercise too. We topped off our walk with some homemade sour orange ice cream that was sold inside the park lodge. It tasted like a dreamsicle! Since it was my actual birthday, Mark's parents kept the girls for us and sent us out on a date to Outback. It had been a long time since we had been there- maybe since before having kids! As we munched our Bloomin' Onion, we looked around the room and asked ourselves which of our friends we would like to retire with... it was an interesting conversation. We enjoyed that time to ourselves celebrating my birthday. Thanks, Mom and Dad Acker!
Sunday morning, we got up bright and early to pack our things into the car and head over to Disney! I was not feeling well- I woke up with a headache (I get migraines quite often). We got on the road and stopped at the first McDonald's we found. After some orange juice, medicine and a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit, I started to feel better and by then, we had arrived at "the happiest place on earth." We got into the park around 9:30 and hit the ground running. First, Blair and I got "Happy Birthday" buttons so that everyone would know we were there celebrating. Next, we headed toward Fantasyland, a new area of the park. Before we got there, we stopped to meet Alice in Wonderland, Tweedledee and Tweedledum and The White Rabbit. Blair liked that and so did I! Then we hit the Dumbo ride and after that, walked over to meet Daisy Duck and Minnie Mouse. At that point, we had purchased an autograph book and pen for signatures, so we have a few in there. Mark took Blair on the Tea Cup ride and I took her on the Speedway cars. Mark took Blair to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Factory while baby girl slept in her stroller with me. Then we got a Fast Pass for The Little Mermaid ride and rode It's a Small World and the carousal while we waited. After Ariel, we caught a parade by the castle and I headed over to get a Fast Pass for Mickey and the Princesses. It turns out I was given confusing information and got the wrong Fast Pass, but Blair was so excited to meet the princesses, so we waited in line to do that, which was worth it when we saw her with them. She met Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel, as well as Mickey Mouse. She just told me this morning that meeting them was her favorite thing about Disney, so I'm glad we waited the half hour we did. We came out just in time to see another parade and the girls loved it, of course. Next, we headed over to Tom Sawyer's Island, which was geared more for older kids, but Mark and I wanted to see it anyway. Blair was pretty scared in the cave- it was pretty dark in there! And it didn't help that the people going through in front of us were scaring each other and shouting. We had dinner at Pecos Bill's and it was super expensive, but we were hungry. Our last "land" of the day was Adventureland. Here, we rode the jungle boat, Aladdin's magic carpets and climbed up the Swiss Family Robinson's treehouse. I bought a Christmas ornament quickly, just before the light show on the Cinderella's Castle began. It was pretty amazing. In order to beat the crowds out, we opted to skip the fireworks and headed back to the car. It was a really long, but totally awesome day! Definitely Blair's most memorable birthday! I'm thankful we were able to get there with the girls!
Both girls were completely exhausted and fell asleep in the car on the drive over to the hotel. We were able to get them right into bed and move everything up to the room without them ever waking up. That night, we all slept like babies.
The next morning, I awoke again with a migraine- this one was not going to go away without a fight. Mark was a trooper and packed everything up, including the girls. We stopped at a Chickfila and the migraine got the best of me- I got sick in a bag after eating a little. I then proceeded to sleep off and on for several hours and finally around 1 PM, I was feeling better. I hate those darn migraines. They come when I don't expect them or at the worst possible times. I try to manage them with minimal medicine, but if they continue to torture me, I might have to get something stronger like my mom uses (my mom and grandma both get them as well).
The drive home went all right. We made it home by 1:15 AM and were happy to sleep in our own beds again. Thanks for reading about our vacation! It's hard not to ramble... sometimes I tried to control that and other times, not so much. I will add some pictures to another post. Time to get baby girl out of bed!
Friday, March 1, 2013
Vacation, Part One
Hi Readers!
Sorry it has been so long since my last post (I know you were dying with anticipation!), but this girl has been too busy traveling to sit down and write! Fear not! The time has come for me to indulge you all about said trip! Here we go!
We left town on Tuesday afternoon last week- we chose Tuesday because our oldest goes to a local preschool on Tuesday mornings and I wanted to make sure she didn't miss it. She loves going and I love that she goes! Win-win. The drive down was slated for around 15 hours, so it was going to be a long night. The girls did pretty well in the car overall! There were some tears and the expected whining, but they did sleep a lot and only really melted down about 20 minutes from our final destination. We dropped them off with Grandma and Grandpa with their things and instructions and later that day, drove over to our private vacation getaway.
We finally decided to stay at The Harrington House on Anna Maria Island, FL. It is a B&B with other properties surrounding the main house- we stayed in one of those. It was BEAUTIFUL. I told Mark that I would love to retire in a place just like that- it had master suites with their own baths, a good sized kitchen, dining and living rooms, and even a washer and dryer. It was decorated perfectly and had lovely finishes. I was in heaven. Even though our place wasn't directly on the beach, we just had to walk across the road and enter the parking lot to the main house which led around to the pool and deck that was right there on the beach. I liked the quiet privacy of being away from the main house better anyway. That is what a good vacation is for parents, right? P&Q. Call us crazy, but we took full advantage of that... to the point where we each slept in our own beds. There were two, so why not? We had the best night's sleep we had had in weeks, let me tell you!! No one heard a snore, felt a toss or turn, got too hot or cold, ah... it was amazing and much needed.
While we weren't staying in the main house, we still had access to every amenity offered: pool (we never had time to use it, but man, was it warm!), mouth-watering breakfast (day one: yummy omelet, toast, fruit; day two: french toast with ginger peach compote and fruit), beach chairs, bicycles, movies, afternoon cookies, coffee anytime, etc). We spent the first morning sleeping in until we woke up on our own (surprisingly, this was 8 AM. We had gone to bed at 9:30 the night before because we were wiped from the drive down, so that might have something to do with our early rising). Next we headed over to the main house to eat our scrumptious breakfast on the deck, watching the beach-walkers, sailboats, pelicans diving and stingrays jumping. We decided to take a walk on the beach ourselves for a bit before heading out on bicycles to explore the island. It was so fun and relaxing to ride up and down the streets and experiencing the island this way. It would be a pretty place to retire, but probably way too expensive. Besides, we've got a whole lot of living to do before retirement anyway! We rode our bikes to the main shopping drive and checked out the little boutiques, looking for a few small souvenirs for the girls.
After a day in the sun on our bikes, we were tired and sunburned. It was almost dinner time and I had a craving for some Cuban food since we were down in FL and it would likely be authentic. A little google search led me to Jose's Real Cuban Food in nearby Bradenton. Reviews said the food was tasty and the place had been featured on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, which sold me because I enjoy that show and always wish I could try the places he finds. Mark got the Cuban sampler platter that had different kinds of meats and sides and I got the Cuban sandwich... it was so yummy and huge! I could only eat half, so we took the rest with us. On the way back to AMI, we stopped in a place called Bealls Outlet (kind of like Marshall's or TJMaxx), because we didn't have kids and that makes shopping more fun. We both found some cute, inexpensive things, including shoes and shorts for Mark, sunglasses and a few shirts for me. Their winter clothes were clearanced so I got some great deals and I still get to wear them because winter is still going strong here at home. We ended the evening back at the house and tried to soak up every last moment of quiet left before seeing the girls the next morning.
The next morning was a little less leisurely as we were trying to pack up and eat breakfast before check out and Mark's parents' arrival. The plan was for the them to bring the girls out and for us to enjoy the beautiful beach for the day with them. The Harrington House gave us permission to continue to use the facilities for the day, even after check out, so we were able to use their towels and chairs and their bathroom. That came in super handy throughout the day! The girls loved the beach! Baby girl tried to eat the sand and crushed up shells several times. We took the girls for a beach stroll with the heavy-duty double jogger. My oldest and I played in the Gulf- it was chilly at first, but we got used to it pretty fast! Mark buried her in the sand, which she loved. The seagulls hovered overhead for much of the time and took advantage of every dropped goldfish cracker or corn puff. We decided to give them the whole bag of corn puffs because the humidity had made them taste less than appetizing. Once they caught wind of free lunch, they surrounded us and fearlessly scavenged anything they saw, including the rest of my Cuban sandwich that was in my hand on its way to my mouth! It was crazy! But the girls LOVED feeding the birds so I guess it was worth my taste bud's sacrifice.
All in all, the first part of our vacation went wonderfully! It was a great gift to get those precious hours of alone time with my Mark man, followed by a spectacular day on the beach with our sweet little family. Oh, how I love them! Also awesome was the weather- it was perfect and we couldn't ask for better! Thank you, Lord, for these special memories! These first 30 years of my life have been such a blessing and I am grateful!
Thanks for reading! Come back soon for the second part of our vacation! We will be heading for a short visit to Avon Park, FL, followed by our day in Disney World!
Sorry it has been so long since my last post (I know you were dying with anticipation!), but this girl has been too busy traveling to sit down and write! Fear not! The time has come for me to indulge you all about said trip! Here we go!
We left town on Tuesday afternoon last week- we chose Tuesday because our oldest goes to a local preschool on Tuesday mornings and I wanted to make sure she didn't miss it. She loves going and I love that she goes! Win-win. The drive down was slated for around 15 hours, so it was going to be a long night. The girls did pretty well in the car overall! There were some tears and the expected whining, but they did sleep a lot and only really melted down about 20 minutes from our final destination. We dropped them off with Grandma and Grandpa with their things and instructions and later that day, drove over to our private vacation getaway.
We finally decided to stay at The Harrington House on Anna Maria Island, FL. It is a B&B with other properties surrounding the main house- we stayed in one of those. It was BEAUTIFUL. I told Mark that I would love to retire in a place just like that- it had master suites with their own baths, a good sized kitchen, dining and living rooms, and even a washer and dryer. It was decorated perfectly and had lovely finishes. I was in heaven. Even though our place wasn't directly on the beach, we just had to walk across the road and enter the parking lot to the main house which led around to the pool and deck that was right there on the beach. I liked the quiet privacy of being away from the main house better anyway. That is what a good vacation is for parents, right? P&Q. Call us crazy, but we took full advantage of that... to the point where we each slept in our own beds. There were two, so why not? We had the best night's sleep we had had in weeks, let me tell you!! No one heard a snore, felt a toss or turn, got too hot or cold, ah... it was amazing and much needed.
While we weren't staying in the main house, we still had access to every amenity offered: pool (we never had time to use it, but man, was it warm!), mouth-watering breakfast (day one: yummy omelet, toast, fruit; day two: french toast with ginger peach compote and fruit), beach chairs, bicycles, movies, afternoon cookies, coffee anytime, etc). We spent the first morning sleeping in until we woke up on our own (surprisingly, this was 8 AM. We had gone to bed at 9:30 the night before because we were wiped from the drive down, so that might have something to do with our early rising). Next we headed over to the main house to eat our scrumptious breakfast on the deck, watching the beach-walkers, sailboats, pelicans diving and stingrays jumping. We decided to take a walk on the beach ourselves for a bit before heading out on bicycles to explore the island. It was so fun and relaxing to ride up and down the streets and experiencing the island this way. It would be a pretty place to retire, but probably way too expensive. Besides, we've got a whole lot of living to do before retirement anyway! We rode our bikes to the main shopping drive and checked out the little boutiques, looking for a few small souvenirs for the girls.
After a day in the sun on our bikes, we were tired and sunburned. It was almost dinner time and I had a craving for some Cuban food since we were down in FL and it would likely be authentic. A little google search led me to Jose's Real Cuban Food in nearby Bradenton. Reviews said the food was tasty and the place had been featured on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, which sold me because I enjoy that show and always wish I could try the places he finds. Mark got the Cuban sampler platter that had different kinds of meats and sides and I got the Cuban sandwich... it was so yummy and huge! I could only eat half, so we took the rest with us. On the way back to AMI, we stopped in a place called Bealls Outlet (kind of like Marshall's or TJMaxx), because we didn't have kids and that makes shopping more fun. We both found some cute, inexpensive things, including shoes and shorts for Mark, sunglasses and a few shirts for me. Their winter clothes were clearanced so I got some great deals and I still get to wear them because winter is still going strong here at home. We ended the evening back at the house and tried to soak up every last moment of quiet left before seeing the girls the next morning.
The next morning was a little less leisurely as we were trying to pack up and eat breakfast before check out and Mark's parents' arrival. The plan was for the them to bring the girls out and for us to enjoy the beautiful beach for the day with them. The Harrington House gave us permission to continue to use the facilities for the day, even after check out, so we were able to use their towels and chairs and their bathroom. That came in super handy throughout the day! The girls loved the beach! Baby girl tried to eat the sand and crushed up shells several times. We took the girls for a beach stroll with the heavy-duty double jogger. My oldest and I played in the Gulf- it was chilly at first, but we got used to it pretty fast! Mark buried her in the sand, which she loved. The seagulls hovered overhead for much of the time and took advantage of every dropped goldfish cracker or corn puff. We decided to give them the whole bag of corn puffs because the humidity had made them taste less than appetizing. Once they caught wind of free lunch, they surrounded us and fearlessly scavenged anything they saw, including the rest of my Cuban sandwich that was in my hand on its way to my mouth! It was crazy! But the girls LOVED feeding the birds so I guess it was worth my taste bud's sacrifice.
All in all, the first part of our vacation went wonderfully! It was a great gift to get those precious hours of alone time with my Mark man, followed by a spectacular day on the beach with our sweet little family. Oh, how I love them! Also awesome was the weather- it was perfect and we couldn't ask for better! Thank you, Lord, for these special memories! These first 30 years of my life have been such a blessing and I am grateful!
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| Who wouldn't want to stay here?? |
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| This is my bedroom, ha ha. |
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| Here is the living room |
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| This is Mark's bedroom |
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| Beautiful sunset! |
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| Jose's Real Cuban Food, Bradenton, FL |
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| Our last beach day |
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| Mine! Mine! Mine! |
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| Baby girl, exploring the sand |
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| I love the beach! |
Thanks for reading! Come back soon for the second part of our vacation! We will be heading for a short visit to Avon Park, FL, followed by our day in Disney World!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Birthday Parties-- A Look Back
My oldest beauty is turning 4 next week! I can't believe it's been four years already! Four years ago I was impatiently awaiting her arrival and ready to punch the next person to ask when she was due (she made her entrance 10 days late... stinker!) She decided to come to us just hours after my birthday, so we are forever linked that way. With the upcoming birthday and the party that we are planning for the weekend after her birthday (we will be in Disney for her actual birthday, remember?) I thought it might be fun to look back at last year's party...
As soon as I caved into Pintrest, I got hooked on creating my own decor for my kids' birthday parties. Blair's 3rd birthday was the guinea pig-- I learned really fast just how much time and energy goes into personalizing a birthday party. We chose a venue for the party instead of trying to host at our house. Since her birthday is in the winter, we are pretty limited to indoor locations and I get anxiety just thinking about a houseful of kids... I should probably work on that... but I digress... This particular venue kind of fell into our laps via Living Social. A local horse farm hosts birthday parties that include use of a heated room off of an indoor riding arena, as well as pony rides for 15 friends! Who can pass up 50% off?? Even though Blair hadn't really been interested in horses or ponies up to that point, she did have an authentic pair of pink cowboy boots from Montana, so I ran with it and the cowgirl themed birthday party was born. Here are some pictures from that day!
I can't wait to post pictures of sweet girl's 4th (eek!) birthday in a few weeks! She is sleeping soundly next to me right now on the couch... can't believe she's just about four. Wow.
As soon as I caved into Pintrest, I got hooked on creating my own decor for my kids' birthday parties. Blair's 3rd birthday was the guinea pig-- I learned really fast just how much time and energy goes into personalizing a birthday party. We chose a venue for the party instead of trying to host at our house. Since her birthday is in the winter, we are pretty limited to indoor locations and I get anxiety just thinking about a houseful of kids... I should probably work on that... but I digress... This particular venue kind of fell into our laps via Living Social. A local horse farm hosts birthday parties that include use of a heated room off of an indoor riding arena, as well as pony rides for 15 friends! Who can pass up 50% off?? Even though Blair hadn't really been interested in horses or ponies up to that point, she did have an authentic pair of pink cowboy boots from Montana, so I ran with it and the cowgirl themed birthday party was born. Here are some pictures from that day!
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| I made the banner with scrapbook paper, card stock and stencils. The rocking horse was ours from home. |
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| I tried to make the food things real cowgirls might eat: bbq pulled pork, fruit and green salad, and s'more pops. |
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| Another view of the s'more pops... I made the stands with styrofoam wheels, ribbon and scrapbook paper. |
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| A real cowgirl drinks organic milk and IBC root beer, right? We found the metal bucket at Tractor Supply. |
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| My friend, Amy, is an awesome photographer and her daughters were invited so she took some pictures as well! These were so easy to make- pretzel sticks, white chocolate and yellow m&ms. |
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| The party favors were Cowgirl Cookie Mixes, adapted from Bakerella's cookie mix. The only real difference is that I used jute string to tie them instead of leather. The jars are from Hobby Lobby, as are the fabric swatches that came in a pack of squares. The hat came from our rental home, left behind by bad tenants, ha ha. |
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| A closer view of the Cowgirl Cookies. I heard rave reviews from the recipients! |
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| The cake was made by one of our local bakeries, the ever favorite, Ele. It resembles a pink bandanna and I love it. Again, Amy took this one. |
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| I found these paper straws on Etsy, although I can't remember the exact vendor (sorry!) The glasses were from The Christmas Tree Shops. Amy again deserves photo credit. |
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| Amy took this picture of Blair on her pony. She loved that guy! |
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| Here is my darling, little cowgirl, sporting her pink boots, skinny jeans and plaid. |
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| I just love this picture Amy took of Blair waiting to blow out her candles! That little face is so precious! |
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| Amy created this adorable succession picture of Blair blowing out her candles. LOVE! |
I can't wait to post pictures of sweet girl's 4th (eek!) birthday in a few weeks! She is sleeping soundly next to me right now on the couch... can't believe she's just about four. Wow.
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