VBS.....and The Hormonal Momma

Grace Gettin' Her Groove On!

Grace's first VBS. One of many to come, I hope. There are so many wonderful people who volunteered to teach, decorate, feed, and guide all the kids throughout the week. Me? I volunteered for "registration" .......(a.k.a. the "cush" job). But Grace, like I said, loved it.......I'm still singing all the songs!

She also loved the waterslide at the end of the week.....

On a side note, my hormones have been a ragin' lately.....or rather, not raging, but more standing still on the bottom part of the "Pregnancy Roller Coaster". You know, ladies.....those hormones that make you snap at your hubby just because he's standing there watching TV with you.......those kind. So say a prayer for Boog.....he's suffering through it like a champ. He's probably wishing I would just have the whole morning sickness thing and throw up all those hormones! I'm ready to be "Flo" again! But alas, the things we go through for God's creation! : ) I'm trying to enjoy it - really. Can't you tell?

And on a larger note, I'm really excited about a new women's bible study my church is having. It's Angela Thomas's "Beautiful Offering". I desperately feel the need to dive deep into God's word, and I'm not really feeling that I've been offering anything beautiful lately......so the timing is perfect. Keep us in your prayers because this is the first study that our church has done in a while, and we're looking to connect throughout generations.

Hope you had a great weekend!

OK Mommas....ever heard of this?

Apparently, it's the "hip" thing to have amongst the Hollywooder-preggo moms.....they snap across your normal jeans and pants so you can wear them further into your pregnancy. See a demonstration here.

What do you think?? To order or not to order....THAT is my question.

Wish I Had Been There....

Fresno State Bulldogs, College World Series Champions

I don't know if you remember it, but one of my "dream vacations" many blogs ago was to drive an RV alllllllllll the way up to Omaha, Nebraska, and watch the entire 2 weeks of the College World Series. Seriously. Hot dogs, baseball caps, sun...the whole nine yards. That would be.....a dream.

However, seeing that Grace right now isn't neccessarily up for non-stop baseball , I had to settle for watching it on the good 'ol television. And Fresno State offered up one of the best championships games there could be.........

I don't know why I have that dream. It could be that back when I was a Diamond Darling at Aggieland, we were able to fly up there with the team when they went to the College World Series. However, our performance was pretty poor and we were eliminated as quick as you can say 'hot dog'.....thus, we were sent back home. Getting a taste of that laid-back gloriousness is rather disappointing!

So Rosenblatt Stadium.....I'll be there one day with you. Hecklin' the pitchers....spitting out sunflower seeds....I promise. Until then......ESPN it is.

Ode to my Sista....who's 33 today!

My sis is thirty three

Which makes her two years older than me

She's a crafty 'lil gal and quite a pal

And a crazy momma of three

She's sick in bed today

And her back's decided to give away

But she's no quitter.....can get through anything that hits 'er

So Cody, for her birthday, would you please hire her a sitter?

Wow...that's really bad! SO glad I'm not a professional poet. But anyway....

Happy Birthday Dear Ang!!!

Eat, Eat, Eat!!!

That's ALL I want to do right now....eat! And not the good stuff either.....the Sonic mozzerella sticks, juicy cheeseburgers....Vanilla Dr. Peppers (I know, I can't have caffeine.....I settle for Cherry Limeades).....what's a pregnant girl to do??

It's amazing how different pregnancies can be. The first one, I craved Mexican food....now, it's junk food. But thankfully, so far, neither pregnancies have had morning sickness (sorry, Ang!). So I'm extremely thankful for that.

8 weeks today!

OK. Enough preggo talk.....

My First Award!

My sweet blogger friend, Jamie, has just given me my first bloggy award! Jamie is probably the best blogger out there...she always has new posts and always is doing something creative with her children. Very inspiring! Seriously, I don't know how I "Make Anyone's Day" but the sheer fact that some people get a chuckle or two off of my mishaps and dog-loathing blogs, then all is well in my world!

Actually, all is well in my world if my kids and husband are home and healthy.......home, preferrably right now. I'm missing my hubby.....we've been away from each other for two weeks (my GA Camp, now his Youth Camp). I'm ready for him to be back! Sure the messes will come back with him (he tends to make these little "piles" of tiny bits and pieces paper, letters, cards, notes to himself, etc. all over the place) and the hectic scheduling will come back (he likes to stay busy...thus we stay busy) and the dinner menu will actually have to be cooked on the stove (Grace & I, alone, can manage on Mr. Chef Boyardee and some cheese & fruit and we are happy campers!). But, alas, I still want him home....even with all that comes back with him! : )

So now.......I give back to the bloggy world that has given to me. I'll dish out my own "Make My Day" Award. They go to.....drum roll please......

My sister, Angela. Yes, I might be partial here, but she's the one who got me started blogging and well, I just love her posts. We share a love of sarcasm...hers a bit more than mine...but she is always cracking me up with her posts or pictures of her beautiful, but precocious, little girls.

My college roommate, email buddy, forever friend Stephanie. She's a new blogger and has "Made My Day" by simply starting her blog.....that way I can get to see her precious little girl grow up. It took some convincing for her to start blogging, but by golly, I think she has it down!

Those are just two of the many blogs that "Make My Day"......

Have a great day!

It's Official.....We Have a Baby...

Doctor confirmation - check.
Sonogram pictures - check.
Pregnancy due date - check. (January 30th!)
Heartbeat - check....or as the doc called it "the flicker"
Weight gain - check....two pounds already. (Did I say I was eating for two now?)
Miscarriage worry - check.
Tummy bulge - check. (it's true...the second one bulges a bit faster!)
.........let's see..........
7 weeks and 3 days today.
No morning sickness to speak of yet.......

Still mad at my dog. I think he killed some baby birds today......
forget "For Sale". He's "For Free."

Dog For Sale! (warning, lots of poop usage)

Yes, I'm talking about this guy....

OK, dog lovers. This post is not for you. This post is a venting machine about how much I'd love to sell/give away/(accidentally lose) our dog.....yes, I'm talking about the cute little thing that 20 posts ago was a "puppy breath cutie pie". This puppy has now grown into a full blown teenager and well.....he needs to go.

Maybe it's the fact that Boog is gone to youth camp for the week, and I'm now having to take care of all the "doggy duties" including 1) cleaning his monstrous poop out of our yard 2) cleaning his monstrous poop out of his kennel or 3) cleaning his hair off of the bottom of my flip flops simply because I decided to step out into my backyard.

Oh my backyard....let me dive into that one! It used to be a sanctuary! Beautiful grass...large wide play area....fun toys.....now? It's one big poop yard. Even if we've cleaned the poop up, it still smells like the faint odor of remnant poop. And everytime the dog decides to tinkle....it kills the grass. So our once evergreen lawn is now splotchy and looks sickly.

What's a girl to do? I'm not a dog hater....I promise. In fact, our last dog was loved with all my heart.....I don't know what the difference is this time. All I know is, he licks too much.....my daughter doesn't like to be outside when he's out.....and he's afraid of water. Who ever heard of a lab afraid of the water? I don't know.....but Calgon, or the pound, needs to come and take me or it away!

Grace, the Momma

Grace and her Abbie

So Grace said the other day, " Momma, we're gonna have to go to Wal-Mart and start buying bottles, diapers, wipes, patsies....all the things I'm gonna need for this baby."

"You're gonna need?" I ask, incredulously.

She smiled and replied, "I mean, you're gonna need."

I don't doubt that she's already preparing a list of the things she will need for this baby. I mean, she's already been taking care of Abbie (Bitty's new name) for quite a while, like a champ, so a new baby is just another extension of her mom-ness.

Like I said, part of my excitement about this new baby lies in seeing Grace in action. I'm trying to prepare her that it won't be all fun & games.....for example, the constant crying sometimes at night. Her reply, "I'll be okay....I sleep hard. You can't wake me up."

I guess I won't be hoping for her to help with those 3 am feedings.

I'm Back....and a Little Bit Heavier for Two Reasons.

GA camp.......breathe in, release. Now. Think of one little girl...wide-eyed...telling you story after story of her pets, her Jonas Brothers crush, why she forgot her bath towel, what her birthday party theme was, where she was born, the latest Hannah Montana episode, asking where did she put her $10......and then multiply this little girl by 13. Then put all 13 together for a week. In one room. One room.

Now, add in the really bad camp food (ex. when they handed me my waffle this morning, it was limping in their tongs....not a good sign.) Reason #1 why I'm heavier.

Now, add in the showers that shot out freezing cold water from the handles and were built in 1957.......the kind you have to wear flip-flops in for fear of gangrene/mold/infestation of some sorts.

Now....the saving grace. Add three little girls accepting Jesus for the first time. That makes it all worth it! But I'm very, very, verrryyy glad to be home.

Now....... Reason #2 that I'm heavier.

I'm pregnant!

Baby Bean 6 Weeks

We found out during our vacation last week and next week is my first doctor's appointment. But from my calculations, I'm about 6 1/2 weeks pregnant.

We are so excited and Grace? Oh man. She already was the momma to Biddy Baby....now she's super excited to have a "real baby" coming. She asks all the time if she can help feed it and give it bottles...in fact, she'd probably do a better job of taking care of it than I would! I'm mainly excited for Grace to have a little baby brother or sister.......she's going to be such a great older sis.

I'm praying for a healthy pregnancy and can't wait for the addition to our family......here we go again!

Home Sweet Home....

GA Camp Verse

I told Boog on the way back from Florida (which, by the way, felt worlds longer than the drive there) if you ever are grumbling about the place you live....take a vacation....then you'll appreciate it so much more. And appreciate we did.

I loved coming home to my house....my bed....even Grace rolled around in her sheets a while, smiling, before going to sleep. Even after being in the total lap of luxury for a week, I wouldn't trade it for home. Not ever. There's something to be said for taking a break, but I can't do it for too long before I'm ready for real life again.

So that being said - real life here we go! I'm off to GA Camp for a week with 15 3rd-6th grade girls. It should be fun, but there is a rule of "no ipods, cell phones, or lap tops" so I definitely won't be posting for the next week.

Until then, go and read Angie Smith's blog......she's Selah's lead singer's wife....and wow, she could be the next Beth Moore if she wanted to be. So eloquent. But her blog about the "threshing floor" is absolutely the best. In fact, if you haven't read any of her posts, start from the beginning and bring a box of kleenex.

So long!

Beautiful Moments....

If this trip has highlighted anything to me, it's been this: Little girls and their daddies are precious.

Boog & Grace have had the whole week to bond over "outdoorsy" stuff.....biking, swimming, boogie boarding, you name it. And he loves it just as much as she does.... he takes so much time with her to make sure that she is a) enjoying whatever it is that she is doing and b) learning while doing it.

I have to say...these are just about some of my most favorite pictures of the two of them. They are in their element.

Beauty & the Beach

Grace loves the ocean. She's braver than me, I tell ya.....and she also doesn't mind the salt water. Her favorite thing to do is get daddy to take her farther out to the "Big Waves!". Me? I love riding around the resort and looking at the homes. This one below? It would have the price tag of around 1.4 million. That's right.......can I get one, please? There doesn't seem to be a recession here! But all around this resort are homes of this size and about 5 times this size. My favorite thing about them all? They all have screened in porches (no mosquitoes!!!)

But we ALL agree that our favorite thing to do is ride the bikes everywhere. It's safe because the speed limit for cars around this place is 17 mph (no joke), so even the little ones are safe. Of course, they are strapped in the back safe with Boog as the chaffeur. What a life!

Last night, we went to see an outdoor "snake show". It wasn't too impressive, but the girls loved hearing the rattling and hissing. Today's agenda? You got it. More beach!

Hello from Watercolor! (a.k.a. Relaxation Capital)

Beach Feet

Well, I said I wanted to relax. I would say that sitting out on this BEAUTIFUL screened in porch....connected by Wi-fi.....blogging on my laptop with no mosquitoes in sight and a wonderful coastal breeze just a blowin'.......this is the life! Can I stay here forever?

The house we're staying in is amazing....this is the kind of place you come to and find yourself saying over and over, "ooohh, honey, I'd like to build that one" or "ooohh, honey, can we remember to add this feature when we build one day?".

I would have to say the beach was perfect. Clear, blue.....the weather is great.....and as always, one of my most favorite things is riding bikes around the resort. I know...bike riding. Who'd of thought? It's just so darn relaxing! : ) (How many times can I say that word in one blog?)

Here's some pics from day 1 & 2.

Eating out by the beach

Momma & Gracie

Grace & her daddy

The fam

Our "Frankie & Johnny" PJ's

the girls most favorite thing to do...climb stairs