Out With the Old in With the New

    Spent the day shopping with Mom but had to cut short our day out due to these awful allergies. At first I thought it was a cold but I started sneezing like crazy as soon as we walked into Bath and Body Works. All of the different scents sent them into overdrive...then followed watery eyes and lots of nose blowing. But, on the positive side I spent the day shopping for new clothes (and shoes...I can't shop without buying shoes, haha). I am doing away with all of my frumpy, post pregnancy clothes, which hid my chubby belly. Trust me...no one wants to see that; complete with lots of stretch marks and white as chalk as it hasn't seen the sunshine in well over two years. I got a TON of new stylish clothes so all those Mom jeans are going out the window just as fast as my arms can toss them. *big grin*  I'm loving the out with the old in with the new attitude I've taken on. 
     I've decided that I'm not making the resolution to lose weight this year as I always seem to lose motivation after a couple of months. Instead, I'm going to continue to eat healthy, exercise, and have fun chasing around these two beautiful babies of mine. I trust that the weight will come off, slowly and steady, but I'm not going to worry about it too much. I'm only ten pounds away from my goal weight and when I started my weight loss journey I was 45 pounds from it. I'm proud of what I've accomplished in the past nine months but it wouldn't have been possible without the Lord. All of the times I've wanted to give up and give in to nibbling on those sweet treats, I've turned to God. He gives me the strength I need to persevere. And speaking of the Lord, I've grown so close to Him this past year. I pray that I will continue to grow in my relationship with Him in 2012....that's my only resolution for this year. Because with God, I can do ALL things! Happy New Year!

Caring for Colds

     What a week it's been. Both the kids started feeling bad on Monday night...coughing, runny noses, clinging to Mommy etc. I at first thought it was allergies, but now am pretty convinced it's a cold. Noah is starting to feel better after many doses of Mom's warm honey mixture and Tylenol, but poor Miss Haleigh is still all snotty. Let's just say I'm rocking the clothes with the caked on boogers...:-). And, my babies LOVE to share everything, which normally I would say is a wonderful thing, but not when it comes to spreading their lovely little germs around. Yesterday morning Caleb woke up with, guess what? Sniffles, coughing, and all the symptoms the kids had which alerted me that this was a head cold. LOVELY! Praising the Lord throughout the day that He kept me from the illness, I set about to taking care of my puny little family; complete with lots of cuddling and sugars. Probably a bad idea on my part as I woke up this morning with, yep, you guessed it!  Through the sneezing, coughing and excessive amount of nose blowing, I have still managed to take care of the babies. Which has been quite a miracle considering how bad I feel and how bad Bop still feels today. I am praising God with my whole heart though because He kept me well through the worst part of this week. Off of here now to relax for a bit before getting the kids up from their rest time. Since Bug no longer takes a nap during the day, I've made it a rule that he has to sit in his room and rest for a while each day. During that time he can do quiet/relaxing activities such a reading a book, playing with his cars, coloring...etc. It works out well because I can rest during that time or get a few things done around the house. :-)

Christmas Fun

     I have decided to post one picture for each house we visited for Christmas this year. The only place I didn't take photos were the last two stops (my granny and papa Spitzer's/uncle Sammy and aunt Nancy's) and that's because I was exhausted. I barely had the energy to lift my fork to my mouth for dinner that night. :-)  I can't begin to explain the LOVE that our family has...or the generosity that surrounds them all. God is so good to us. 

Christmas Blessings

    What an amazing Christmas! The kids got showered with a ton of LOVE and presents today...as did we. *smile* When I think back on the past few days and the amazing network of family and friends we have I can't thank God enough. Our family is truly blessed. I would write more but I can barely keep these sleepy eyes open for much longer. Will try to update with pictures soon but tomorrow is SHOPPING and TOY ORGANIZATION (hip hip hooray!). Hope everyone's Christmas was filled with many blessings. 


And above all, thank you God for giving us the gift of salvation through your Son, Jesus! Amen. 

On my Heart

With each day that passes, I become more aware of the Lord's many blessings. Today I noticed it in the sweet smile of our baby girl, in the giggle of our little boy, and in the warmness that comes with being around family. God is good. His miracles are many. But His gifts are the greatest...I love you Jesus! Happy Birthday!


This was on my heart and I wanted to share. :-)

Morals

     Currently in the middle of I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. I am LOVING this book. I don't really want to comment on it too much until I have finished it, just because I like to read something in it's entirety until I feel comfortable discussing it. I will say this;  Geisler and Turek's discussion of morals truly fascinates me. They basically make the argument that if you claim to be an atheist then there is really no reason for morals, but even so, most atheists claim they have them. In other words, if we truly lived in a universe that wasn't created by a God, no one would have morals...because there would be no reason for them. With death, life ceases to exist. There is no higher standard to live for. But because there is an infinite God (our dear Savior in Heaven) there are morals. Every person across the globe knows it's wrong to hurt or torture babies. Yes, some people DO commit horrendous acts of violence, but they KNOW it's wrong.  Take this interview with Jeffrey Dahmer for instance...



     The part that I am mainly talking about starts around 2:45 seconds.  In regards to evolution "...the whole theory cheapens life". So very true. I'm not claiming to know that Dahmer has truly accepted Jesus, as the only ones who know that are him and God. I do believe his statement that the theory of evolution cheapens life because if this is all there is...what is there to really live for? As we approach Christmas, I personally will be focusing on my love of God and my thankfulness for showing me the Truth...that He sent his Son to die for my sins and because I have accepted Jesus into my heart, I will live ETERNALLY in Heaven with Him. Merry Christmas!

Winter Fun

     Tonight we decorated a gingerbread train. We were going to get a house but Noah Bug is obsessed with "choos" so we went for this instead. Let's just say it was a lot more complicated than a gingerbread house, but we had so much fun. Halfway through we sort of gave up and just started eating icing, candy, and of course lots and lots of gingerbread!!!   Here are a few pictures of our new family tradition. There is also a picture of the homemade foot scrub I made.

Update

    Wanted to update about my homemade laundry detergent. I LOVE IT!!! Let's just say it works way better than my Gain ever did...got stains out, smells so fresh and clean, and is way cheaper than store bought detergent. Currently I'm getting ready to fold the massive pile of laundry sitting in my floor. I got a bit behind over the weekend...it's clean, but I need to fold it and put it all away. Put Rudolph and Frosty on for Noah Bug to watch while I get my morning chores finished. Then it's off to the library after Bop wakes up. 

Penny Pinching Mom

    I've finally crossed the threshold from money saving mom to frugalista. I have spent the last week shopping for supplies for homemade gift making...and have made some pretty neat presents. First, I made a busy board which doubles as a picture frame which I'm not totally in love with, but it's super cute. I'm just a perfectionist so if even one little thing is out of place, it drives me insane. The second thing I made was peppermint foot scrub which turned out so amazing that I made a second batch of citrus foot scrub. I even sampled a little bit myself (because what kind of a woman would I be if presented someone with a homemade gift that I hadn't tried out first, lol). I let hubby give me a pedicure and let me just say this...is was AWESOME...the foot scrub AND the pedicure, hee hee hee.  
     Well, today, I decided to go to Wal*Mart to get the supplies needed for my own homemade laundry detergent. For my formula, I used

1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1 bar Ivory soap
1 ounce essential oil (citrus)


     I currently have a load in the wash right now so I am really excited to see how it turns out. I will definitely update with the results as soon as I get a chance. All I can say is that it smells super yummy and as long as it works well, I will be thrilled. I normally pay $12 for a large box of Gain, which normally lasts our family about three months. The supplies I bought tonight totaled just under $12 and will make the equivalent of ten boxes of Gain. So, yeah...that's like a TON of money saved. The next thing on my agenda is to make homemade cleaning supplies including window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, and dish soap. I am so excited about making my own homemade stuff because I know exactly what is going into them...not to mention it's way cheaper than purchasing pre-made items from the store. 
     I will try out a bunch of new recipes and post my favorites online sometime after Christmas...which is probably the first moment I will have a chance to try any of them out. We've got a very busy week coming up. And as Christmas approaches, I am doing my best to remember the true reason for the season and praising God for sending his Son to Earth...as a tiny bundle of joy born into the most humble abode...a lowly manger. God bless each of you this week and incase I don't get a chance to blog again, Merry Christmas!

Random

     I am currently about ready to begin the book, I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Caleb has raved about it for a couple of years and I feel bad that this is the first time I will begin reading it. I am very excited to finally be able to share in an in depth conversation about this book with Caleb. I always feel so left out when a book illicits so much excitement and conversation, and I can't join in on the discussion. 
     I took the kids out to the park this morning since it was close to 60 degrees. It would have been perfect weather except that it was extremely windy and that made it feel quite cold outside.  Even so, I think getting the kids out of the house into the fresh air was just what they needed to wear them out. When we got back home Haleigh went right to sleep and Noah went down for a nap shortly afterwards. I really hope he sleeps for more than 30 minutes today since that's been about the usual length this week. I am so thankful to the Lord that today is Friday because I am definitely looking forward to an entire weekend with my husband and kids. 
     Tonight, we are heading over to my Mom's to eat dinner and then driving around Craig to look at Christmas lights...which has become Noah's new favorite pastime. He gets so excited and asks us if we can look at LIGHTS and TREES! *smile*  These children bring so much joy to my life. I can't imagine what I ever did before them, lol. 

Moments to Warm the Heart

     Went to Wal*Mart today to finish up some last minute Christmas shopping and ran into the sweetest little old lady. She was raving about how adorable Noah and Haleigh are and asking what types of toys were their favorites. Well, we had a little chat about how Bug loves anything that resembles a ball and that his favorite book is Where the Wild Things Are. She was quite upset that Wal*Mart didn't have a copy of that at the store. I forgot to mention we were standing in the Photo Center waiting on pictures to be printed off and she asked to see the Christmas pictures I had taken of the kids. She kept oohing and aaahing and saying what good pictures they were and how cute my kids are. As she thumbed through them she got the sweetest smile on her face and said that the reason she had asked about their favorite toys was because just recently she had become a grandmother and wanted to know a good gift to buy for her brand new grand baby. It really brought a smile to my face and I thanked God for that moment. It's the little things in life that mean the most. 

Christmas Story in Music

    Officially my new favorite version of the song, "Mary's Boy Child"  Has an awesome beat and captures the Christmas story perfectly. God bless!!

Birthday Bash

    Yesterday was hubby's 25th birthday. We started the day off with gifts and balloons for Dada...complete with lots of hugs and kisses. Spent the day relaxing and enjoying time with our family. Last night, we invited over a group of our friends to celebrate with us. Put the kids to bed around 7:30ish (although Bug was the life of the party before we tucked him in, lol...making everyone laugh). We stayed up until midnight playing Apples to Apples, I've Never and chatting the night away. I seriously laughed more than I've had in a while...so much that my cheeks hurt when I woke up this morning. What a nice problem to have, though! 

Homemade Gifts

    Decided to give homemade gifts to a lot of our family this year. We decided on photos taken at home and are going to pick out some pretty frames to put them in. We had a fun time but Noah Bug was NOT in the mood for having his picture taken today. In the end, we ended up with a lot of adorable shots. 

     

Living for the Lord

     I have really slacked off in my blogging recently. Oops, lol. *grin*  I now spend my days playing referee to my little ones and learning the tricks to being a Mom of two. Life has been going extremely well these days and I know it's because I am working continually on strengthening my walk with the Lord. Not only has my parenting improved but also has my marriage. Instead of focusing on proving my point and always having to be right (and yes, I struggled with this...still do, occasionally) I now gear my energy towards best serving my spouse. I still feel angry with his ability to fill up the laundry basket as soon as I empty it, leave toothpaste in the sink, and other pet peeves. But instead of acting on that anger, I remind myself that this is what comes with having a spouse and children. It means that I am blessed. All those dirty dishes, piles of laundry, and messes are daily reminders that God has blessed me beyond belief. I've learned to channel my frustration into a happy countenance...one which would make the Lord pleased with me. I sometimes fail in my efforts and let anger and frustration get the best of me, but I was born into sin, so I can't be "perfect" this side of Heaven. 
     But just remember, if you are having a rough day, or are irritated with your spouse, children, friends etc. all of these situations which we view as negative are really the Lord's reminders that you are blessed. You have a warm home, friends, family, children...all of God's blessings. When you feel the devil trying to get to you, put a smile on your face and be filled with the holy spirit...doing everything for Him. Nothing should be easy enough that we don't have to depend on our Savior each and every day. God bless you all!

Craig County Christmas Parade

My brother Andy on the Mick or Mack float.

Silent Moments

     Currently laying on the couch listening to peace and quiet. After the day I had, it reminds how thankful I am for the little moments of rest that rarely happen these days! Not that I'm complaining, because I love the hustle and bustle of having little ones around. My Mom confessed to me that she always has to have on the TV or radio for background noise because she was never able to get used to complete silence after having kids. Right now I bask in the silence, but I know that one day I will miss those high pitched squeals, tattling on siblings, fussy babies, and the pitter patter of little feet. 
     Well, right now, it's off of here to play Skyrim with the hubby (only my new favorite game, lol) and gear up for what I'm sure will be another hectic day of fun with my Bug and Bop. Hope each of you is having a blessed week!!!

Sick Baby Girl

     Our baby girl is sick. :-(  She has been running a fever since Saturday morning. Over the weekend it was around 99 to 100, so I didn't think anything of it. All the doctors will tell you that kids don't run a fever when teething, but we know better. Both of our kids always run low grades while teething. But, yesterday evening it went up to 101 and by 10 last night it was up to 103.3...with Tylenol. So, first thing this morning we called to set up an appointment, which is at 2:20 today. I have a feeling it's either strep or an ear infection...simply because when she eats, she acts like she is in pain. So, if you don't mind, please say a prayer for our baby girl...that the Lord will heal her quickly. 

Tree Decorating in Photos

    I had a great day with the family. We headed out to Once Upon a Child this morning and traded in some of the clothes Haleigh outgrew and left with a space saver booster seat and $2 store credit. I was pretty stoked about that. When we got home, we laid the kids down for their naps and I (not so patiently) waited for them to wake up. They FINALLY work up and we got to work decorating our Christmas tree. And I had my camera in hand ready to capture some memories. Here are some highlights...

Giving Thanks

     As we are quickly approaching Thanksgiving I am becoming more aware of the blessings God has provided throughout this past year. There have been ups (bringing my daughter into the world, celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary, strengthening my walk with Christ, being a mom to two under two) and downs (saying goodbye to my father in law too soon, struggling financially, dealing with being a mom to two under two). But through it all, God has found a way to bless me and my family. 
     In return for uncountable blessings and the greatest GIFT of all (my salvation through Jesus Christ) I owe everything to HIM...my God, my Creator, and the One who holds my life in His hands. As we give thanks this Thursday, remember to lift up your hands to Heaven and thank the Lord for all of your blessings. For without Him, nothing matters.


Colossians 3:17 – "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Psalm 30:12 – "That my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever."

    God bless you all! Praying each of you has a wonderful (and uplifting) Thanksgiving. 

JONAH!!!

     We've started doing a bible story a day with Noah Bug. Today we learned about Jonah and the Whale. :-)  I think he got it because when he was finished Caleb asked him what he learned. Noah's response..."Man bad. Jeez-ez mad. Button (Noah's word for belly button). Fish. YES!!! (with fist pump)" Not quite sure why he thought that Jonah was in the whale's belly button, but close enough for a 22 month old, haha. It was absolutely ADORABLE! Plus, it just melts my heart to see that light bulb going off in his head when he learns new stories from Bible. And when he tries to pray...it's what every parent needs to lift their spirits! *grin*  Thanking God for child-like faith and all that comes with it. 

Gearing up for CHRISTmas

    As you can tell by my new blog layout...I'm totally ready for Christmas! :-)  Can't wait to have Thanksgiving out of the way so I can put up our tree and start decorating!!!
     Had a fun walk with the kids today! It actually warmed up to around 60 degrees so it wasn't too chilly outside. And I really think Bug had a blast being able to get out of the house for a while.

New Camera Fun

     Thanks to my WONDERFUL husband who bought me the camera I've been wanting since I was like 10! Well...maybe not the exact camera I wanted when I was 10, but one way better than what I imagined. God is so good to have blessed me with Caleb!!!

God is My Strength

    Wow! What a busy week I've had. Although it hasn't been the easiest, I've felt God holding me up through every second of it. Without Him, I often find myself wondering who and where I would be. His Love overwhelms and shows me that even through all of this "Earthly stuff" there is a Light at the end of the tunnel. 
     Just wanted to update a little bit since it's been almost a week since I posted last. The kids have just kept me super busy...especially since Haleigh tried taking her first steps this week. Yes, that's right. Baby girl is only 7 1/2 months old and has taken her first steps. She is still very wobbly and would much prefer holding onto a piece of furniture, or her brother, or Mommy and Daddy's legs to maneuver around, but she is able to toddle on her own. I honestly can't believe it. Our pediatrician told us that Noah walked early (around 9 1/2 months) so never would I have imagined Haleigh would beat that milestone. But, baby girl showed me, lol. 
     Noah has been showing true toddler colors this week with tantrums, fighting hard against going to bed, picking on his sister, and testing Mama and Dada's patience. It's my fault, really...I found myself praying for patience last week, so God is simply answering my prayers. I'm not going to lie...this test of patience has been rough; really rough. There have been days I've broke down and cried...sobbed until I was clinging to the Lord with every fiber of my being. I won't go into specifics of everything, just that through it all, I praised God for the good days and the bad. There is a reason for everything. I truly believe that. 
     Anyways, I think I will get off of here for now. Going to clean up the house a little bit before hubby gets home since it looks like a tornado touched down in my living room. :-)  Have a blessed day, everyone. 

Sticking to Commitments

     First off, I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of our men and women currently serving or who have served to protect our country. Happy Veteran's Day!  
     I woke up this morning determined to stick with my workout plans. I do cardio every other day and something light like yoga or Pilates on the other days. It seems to be working well as I've been losing about 2 pounds a week over the last couple of weeks. It's definitely not always easy to fit in a workout with having two little ones, but a lot of prayer and determination has kept me on track with my plans. Hubby had the day off so as soon as I woke up, I got on my exercise clothes (yes, the ones I wore in COLLEGE) and headed out for a jog. Let me just say that venturing out this morning, willing to work out while it was in the 30s, demonstrates my devotion to this goal I've set for myself...it was FREEZING. 
     The Lord has shown me that my body is a temple...HIS temple. Therefore, while working on strengthening my walk with God, I am simultaneously focusing on keeping my earthly body in good shape as well. And with God, all things are possible!!! 
      Well, Noah's Baby Einstein video is almost over so I'm going to get off of here and feed little man before I put him down for a nap. Please say a prayer for little Haleigh as she is getting another tooth! :-(  Blessings to all!!!

Don't Get Stuck in Grace

    Today, I was doing my Bible Study for the Stay at Home Mom, and the Lord laid this message upon my heart today; which is one I really needed to hear. 

"Grace is a tool used to help us move on. Grace is forgiveness and is given to the person who doesn’t deserve forgiveness. Grace is the gift that is given even when we don’t deserve it. Grace is NOT an excuse for us to deny the truth in the Bible, nor is it to be used as an excuse not to follow God in full obedience to His word.Grace is designed to give us the power and the confidence to move forward with a life of obedience. But sometimes we can stay stuck in grace, feeling like it is enough, when in fact grace and obedience really go hand in hand.Grace is something we can live in daily. Grace isn’t stationary, it goes with us as we walk in truth, living a life of obedience to God and His word."

I am always finding myself making mistakes and then saying, "oh well...I know God will forgive me!"  This is the WRONG attitude for me to have. Instead, I should feel convicted and heartbroken that I've broken the promise I made to God in that I would take up the cross and follow Him. Sometimes, when life gets too easy, I am reminded that I am not fully giving myself over to the Lord. This life should NOT always be easy and I should never be comfortable enough that I'm not fully relying on God each and every single day. 

I've found that when I witness, strengthen my walk with the Lord, and truly live in HIS word, that's when I am bombarded with life's difficulties. I am not angry with God for these things, but am continually thankful for them, as they make my walk with the Lord stronger. I want to live my life praising my Savior for the gift of salvation...a gift I don't deserve. And I can't wait until the day I see Heaven and all my friends and family who have joined the Lord before me...everyday singing praises to my Yahweh (the one and only God) on the streets of gold and mansions by the sea. Praise be to God!!!

Update on Eye Appointment

     Just got finished up at the eye doctor a little while ago. The doctor informed me that all the fluid behind my retina if FINALLY gone, which I am praising God for. Because I had it for so long, it caused the vision in my right eye to worsen, which resulted in the doctor writing me a prescription for eyeglasses. Currently, I have only been using glasses for up close work including working on the computer, reading etc. But now, unfortunately, I am going to have to start wearing them 24/7. Please pray that I will adjust to them quickly and I won't get too many headaches while getting used to them. (That's what happened when I started wearing my last pair...horrible headaches and migraines for a couple of weeks). 
     Both the little ones are napping so I'm going to work on my bible study and rest for a while. Have a blessed day everyone!
     

The Perfect Will of God

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not upon your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your path.”

     We received the letter from Richmond today informing us that Caleb was not being offered the position. I felt tears of disappointment begin to fall down my cheeks but in the same moment, was comforted in knowing that this is God's PERFECT will for my family. I think the crying was mainly due to my best friend being located in Richmond and the hopes I had of being able to see her pretty face every day...and those adorable children of hers, lol! *smile*  But knowing that God has a different plan for my life brings a smile to my face and a lightness to my heart...if I trust in Him and follow in His footsteps, I will always be heading in the right direction. After all, our time our Earth is fleeting but I can always look forward to knowing I get to spend eternity in Heaven with my Savior!!! It's such a great feeling knowing that with my faith placed in the Lord, I never have to worry; that weight on my shoulders feeling is GONE because I know God is my strength in every situation. Today and everyday He blesses me with another day of life here on Earth, I will continue to praise Him and let His light shine through me! This, I know, is a blessing in disguise. God works in mysterious ways, but that's the magic of it all...FAITH!!!

     I started with a piece of scripture so it seems fitting to end this post with another verse from the Good Book. 

Matthew 17:20

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. "

Editing Fun

    Today Hubby bought me Photoshop software which I have been wanting for FOREVER!!! :-)  Let's just say that the not so thin instructional manual was quite an interesting read for the day. Seriously, I felt like I was in 2D design  all over again. At least I have had some experience with Photoshop in the past because if I hadn't, oh my goodness...I would have been in a tizzy for sure, lol. I spent all evening experimenting with features (and I'm not even halfway to having them all figured out) and here is one of the better ones of the day. 

    This was taken during the Craig County Fall Festival...grandparents enjoying spending time with their grandbabies. Anyways, it's off of here for the night because even though it's 10:15, it's actually sort of 9:15? Right?  I know we are "falling back" an hour tonight which (hopefully) means an extra hour of sleep...as long as it doesn't throw the kids off too bad. Speaking of that, the kids slept until 8am which means hubs and I did too!!! Hooray for that! Hope ya'll have a nice evening!

Thankful for Many Blessings

    I woke up this morning very well rested. I decided to go to bed around 10ish last night and was definitely out by 10:30. The kids didn't wake up until 7:30am (and what an answer to prayers that was!!) so I got a good nine hours of sleep. HALLELUJAH! Then, I got up and went into the kitchen to check the calendar...the first thing I do every morning to see what we have on the agenda for that day. I don't know why it caught me off guard but it's the first of the November. This year has went by so fast it's hard to believe it's already so close to Christmas. But, I'm definitely not complaining as this part of the year is my favorite. Caleb has a lot of days off for all of the holidays and then we get to eat lots of yummy food for Thanksgiving. And Christmas...what a wonderful holiday, getting to celebrate the birth of our wonderful Savior!!! 
     We are still (not so patiently) waiting on a reply back about the possible job in Richmond. We are supposed to hear back by next Friday at the latest but I'm really hoping we hear back sooner, as I get more nervous by the day. Even so, we are putting our full trust and faith in the Lord because He, without a doubt, will always guide us in the right direction! *smile*  
     Well, the kids are both napping so I will probably try to clean up the house and relax for a little while. Today was payday so when hubby gets home we are going grocery shopping and paying bills. Joy, Joy, Joy!!! Have a blessed Tuesday everyone!!

Halloween in Photos

Trick or Treat

     Getting so excited to take our little ones Trick or Treating tonight. This will be the first year Noah has been old enough to do this and this will be Haleigh's first Halloween! I will post pictures later tonight but we are dressing Noah as a frog and Hales as a bumblebee. They are just so adorable, lol. Anyways, it's off of here to start on dinner and wait for my hubby to get home. 

Crazy, Hectic, Busy

    What a week it's been. Little Miss Hales decided she was going to achieve a million milestones this week which has left her Mama begging her to slow down a little bit. :-)  We noticed over the weekend that she was starting to copy everything her brother said...obviously she can't "talk" yet, but that didn't stop her from trying. She now knows the words Mama, Dada/Papa (she calls Caleb both names), Brubba (Brother), Hi, and Bye. I just can't get over how quickly her vocabulary is advancing. Then, she started trying to crawl, which looked more like the moves an inchworm would make rather than crawling. But, the day before yesterday, she watched her brother do it (and admittedly Mommy and Daddy got down in the floor and showed her how, too...it was quite funny). She is now a fast little crawler and I couldn't be more proud, or more sad at the fact she is growing up so darn fast. Oh, and add to her list of to-dos for the week...she now gives high fives which is seriously the most adorable thing ever. *giggle*  
     Big Brother Noah is continuing to take his role very seriously. Every time Hales spits up on the floor (or the couch, or the crib, or anything she basically touches) Noah comes running to get me and yells out "MAMA! SIS...MESS!"  Which is his little toddler language means Sissy made another mess, Mama, lol! He is also a great giver of hugs and kisses and showers his little sister with them throughout the day. It's very sweet and I'm proud to say that he is an amazing big brother and a wonderful son. The week started off a bit rough with quite a few tantrums, which later I discovered was due to the incoming of two new teeth. The last couple of days have been much better, though, and it's been very nice. 
     Tuesday morning Caleb had a phone interview concerning the job he applied for in Richmond.  We are currently waiting to hear back and should know something within the new week and a half. If he gets the job, we will need to move up there within two weeks (probably sometime around Dec. 1st at the latest). If he is offered the position, there will be a ton we will need to do in a very short time frame, including finding someone to take over our lease (So if anyone reading this blog is in need of a 2 BR apartment in Salem, please let us know). The interview went very well and Caleb was pleased with it. Right now it's a waiting game, but we are both pretty nervous. Please pray that God's will be done in this and that we will be accepting of it. 
     More news...this morning I had my follow up appointment with the retina specialist concerning my retinapathy. Over the last several months, the fluid behind my retina has almost completely dried up. The doctor said there was a teeny tiny sliver left over the center of my vision, but that should clear up within a month or so...PRAISE GOD FOR THAT!!! I do have an appointment with my eye doctor because my vision is currently 20/30 in the left eye and 20/40 in the right. If it doesn't improve, I will need to start wearing glasses all of the time  and not just when I read or do computer work. But, that's definitely not a big deal at all. 
    So, yeah...sorry it's been a while since I've updated my blog. But, as you can probably tell, I've been quite a busy woman recently. I now have a full fledged walker and a crawler in my house...crazy, but loving every second of it. 

One Step Closer

     Caleb got a phone call the other morning concerning the job application he put in for a position in Richmond. Well, it was good news...HE GOT AN INTERVIEW!  I can't believe it but we are one step closer to a big change in our lives; and I couldn't be happier. *grin*  Moving away from this area brings so many feelings of excitement and jitters, but if that is where God has chosen for our family to be, my whole heart is in it! ;-)  I was really hoping we would get to go to Richmond for the interview because it would have been the perfect excuse to drop in and see our Rothrock buddies. But, in a way, it's good he got a phone interview because the only time slots they had available were at 8am and 9am...which would have been super early to get the kids up and ready. So, it all worked out. 
      Anyways, just wanted to update about the application process. His interview is Tuesday morning at 9am so please be in prayer for him; that the Lord will steady his nerves and work through Caleb. Please pray that we will accept whatever the Lord's decision may be. Hope everyone has a very blessed weekend. 

My Beautiful Babies

Flu....BLAH!

    Caleb and I both currently have what we think is the flu. Nausea, vomiting, achiness, dizziness...and the list goes on. The two of us have NEVER been this sick at the same time so keeping up with the little ones has been quite a challenge. I seriously don't know how we made it though yesterday. We would each take shifts where we would let the other spouse rest and relax while one of us was on kid duty. And let me just say when you can't even stand up because every time you move you throw up, chasing after a toddler and a crawler is not fun. Only God got us through it. And today, we aren't feeling much better. Except for the fact that I can stand up without feeling like I am going to faint. Nausea and achiness is still there, though.; Thanks for the thoughts and prayers from everyone. We do appreciate it. 

Cute Kid Contest

Here is the new link to vote for Haleigh!!!
http://photos.parents.com/kid-of-the-year/42/2011/80

What a Long Day!!!

    It has been quite a long day already and I still have four VERY LONG hours to go before hubby gets home from work. Noah woke me up around 6:30ish this morning, which wouldn't have been bad, but I had to take my anxiety meds last  night because I had a pretty bad panic attack. Those make me REALLY sleepy so I was groggy and have been for most of the day. I haven't had my cup of coffee for the day yet, but I'm thinking something with expresso in it will be perfect, haha. 
     Well, things were going along ok until Haleigh woke up. I started feeding her a bottle and Noah reached down and bit her on the finger. I was extremely surprised because Bug has never once shown any aggression at all towards his sissy. I don't know if he was trying to play with her, or if maybe he was jealous of her taking away his Mommy time. Then, Haleigh got choked and vomited all over the living room floor, which took a while to clean up. Since she is crawling now, she followed Noah down the hall into their bedroom (where he had left his snack cup on the floor). Needless to say, she spread gold fish crackers and chips all over their bedroom....little crumbs ground into the carpet...yay! I had to yet again tell Noah we can't leave our snacks in the floor anymore, because little Sissy could get choked on them. Put the snacks on the kitchen table, and began cleaning up their room. 
       Even though I was exhausted by this point, I played with the little ones for about an hour, then cooked and fed them their lunch and put them down for naps. Praise the Lord that He blessed me with a break today, because I have really needed it, lol. I was really proud of myself, too, because even though the morning was a pretty stressful one, I didn't cry or freak out about it. Just cleaned it up and went about my day. *grin*  Now, praying with my whole heart these babies sleep for a LONG TIME!!! 
      Oh, by the way, I entered Halebop into the Parents Magazine Photo Contest this week. If you have a chance, please click on this link to vote for her. You can vote once a day, every day, now through Sunday. :-)   Hope ya'll have a wonderful week!!
Didn't think it was fair to enter only one baby, so I entered Haleigh too!!! Please vote for Haleigh each day throughout the upcoming week!!! 
nwphotofaves_koty
http://photos.parents.com/kid-of-the-year/42/2011/52?esrc=

Hiking

    Too tired to write too much about our fun day. We went hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway and it was absolutely beautiful; all the leaves are just starting to change from green to vibrant shades of red and orange. :-)  Got a lot of cool pictures but I will only post a few. Hope everyone is having a nice weekend.