Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Please be in prayer for my blog "friend", McKMama, who is having baby #4 tomorrow morning. Read what I've attached below to get caught up on Baby Stellen...

MckMama is a wonderful Jesus loving mommy to three kids, ages 3, 2, and 1. Tomorrow she will be delivering her fourth! Here's a quote from her blog about this special little guy: "He [Stellan] was quite unexpectedly given to us, and even more unexpected was his diagnosis of heart failure: Premature Atrial Contraction at 20 weeks; Supraventricular Tachycardia, hydrops, and intermittent advanced secondary heart block at 23 weeks; and enlargement of the heart at 32 weeks. We were told at 24 weeks that he would surely die. God performed a miracle and MckMuffin is still with us! The doctors are unsure about what will happen to our baby when he is born. But God is not unsure!! We are praying for MckMuffin's full healing, but we know that God is good no matter what He decides."

Please pray along with me for this family....and if you'd like check out her blog at www.mycharmingkids.net


Thank you.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

My Very First "NOT ME MONDAY"

I am so excited to be entering into the NOT ME MONDAY world! It's going to feel so good to confess all the things I didn't do....

So where does NOT ME MONDAY come from? Well...There is a great Mom named "MckMama" who has a fun blog http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ and I am addicted to reading it. She's having baby #4, Stellan, in 2 days. We are all praying for a healthy baby boy, as he's had some heart issues, but as of late he has been looking good. She does this fun thing called NOT ME MONDAY - it's basically a confessional of all the embarrassing, unbelieveable, funny things that we DID NOT do ( which actually we DID do)- so it's kind of like opposite day. I can't wait to join the fun, so here goes....

This week I most certainly DID NOT do the following:

I DID NOT send my son to go to school without underwear, only realizing this after he had boarded the bus... I DID NOT see his underwear lying on my bed when I returned to my room
when I DID NOT go back to bed!!! (Boy, do I enjoy those last few minutes of snoozing)- I DID NOT pray all day that no little girls would pull his pants down at recess- which apparently was attempted at the beginning of the school year)

I can't believe that I DID NOT drive to the barn with my dead cat, MIRACLE- God rest her soul- in a trashbag on the roof of my van. I DID NOT drive VERY SLOW so that she would not fall off....poor kitty!

I ABSOLUTELY DID NOT stick one of Aarons socks in my bra to serve as a makeshift nursing pad when I ran out one morning (I know John, my bro-in-law, this is way too much for you to handle!!- but I LOVE IT because you actually read my blog)

I most certainly DID NOT buy Harrison something at the aquarium only to buy Hayden a mere postcard for her scrapbook. I DID NOT say "She's the 2nd child"....NOT ME- I'm a second child- I Would NOT do that!!!!

I DID NOT give in to Harrisons pleads to eat a Nutty Bar for breakfast simply because I didn't feel up to a fight.

I DID NOT allow Harrison to say the "B" word just one time after he read it on a bumper sticker. I DID NOT decide to let him say it just so he wouldn't want to - I DID NOT tell him to never say it again!! (Mom, Dad- I really did tell him never to say it again....)

I DID NOT awake Thursday morning to Aaron and Harrison telling me that their treestand broke with Harrison in the tree and Aaron climbing up (they usually use a safety harness but didn't have it on yet). I DID NOT hear them tell me that Aaron fell to the ground, jumped up, and caught Harrison in a 16-20 foot fall. Sidenote- Praise God that they weren't hurt because this could've been VERY bad!

And lastly, I DID NOT think all week about what specifically I was going to admit to NOT doing!!! I DID NOT think after every time I DID NOT do something stupid that I could put it on my NOT ME MONDAY- I DID NOT obsess about it!

Is this fun or what? You can join the fun next Monday!!!! However, there are things I still can't bear to admit....I have a ways to go!

A great weekend!!

We had a great "mini-cation" this weekend ~ the first as a family of four! We left Friday morning and went to Cincinnati to a Sheraton that has an indoor water park. We had a fun time there, of course Harrison loved it and Hayden REALLY had a good time! It was so fun to watch her splash and kick her feet. We even took her under a couple times hoping that she'll continue to love water the way Harrison has. My first time down one of the enclosed waterslides I hit my head on the bottom of the pool when I came out of the tube~ so it was my only time down the slides! I let Aaron have the pleasure of repeatedly climbing the stairs to the top even though I could've used the exercise~ I had to take care of Hayden of course, so it wasn't the stairs or the pounding in my head that kept me from the slides.... I really did delight in watching both of them have such fun. That night, they had some special Halloween events like trick-or-treating, coloring and costume contests, pumpkin painting, etc. (We are holding out for a win in the costume contest so we can go back to the waterpark again)



Saturday morning we slept in (well, we tried but Harrison kept on his school schedule and woke up earlier than we would have liked). After 2 illegal U-Turns, We made it to the Newport Aquarium, which was lots of fun. Harrison liked the penquins and otters the best, and I have to agree. He'd been there once before, but didn't remember that trip *he was still in my belly :)~ * He thinks he can remember it though! On the way back, we had to stop at Bass Pro Shops for the boys and I treated Hayden to a new pair of $10 shoes ;) SO CUTE- she really needed them! really....



We went back to the hotel and swam- all of us- Hayden again loved it but what was the best was her laughter watching Harrison and some other boys playing in the pool. It is HILARIOUS and I LOVE to watch her take in everything her big brother does. We need to start impressing on him how much of an influence he is going to be on her.



Saturday night we went to IKEA!!! It was our second time there- Okay, let me re-phrase. Hayden and I went to IKEA...Aaron and Harrison stayed in the van watching hunting movies for a while and then joined us towards the end. We had a nice meal at Max and Ermas (our favorite) and then came back to the hotel arcade $$$$$. They did have a Deal or No Deal game and my favorite Skeeball !!! In all we came home with fang teeth, a parachute sling-shot, a care-bear figurine, and a "pop" toy- don't want to think about what those little pieces of plastic cost us- but oh well, making memories........oh, and we got another "eye patch" too!


BREAKING NEWS.....
Before bed last night, I was feeling in Haydens mouth and discovered her FIRST TOOTH was peeking through (SOBBING)....my baby is growing up.



Sunday we left and drove to Jeffersonville, OH to a Pottery Barn outlet. I left with two wipeable baby bibs- all that they had and that's what I walk out with- disappointing- so for all of you who think I am a shop-a-holic >>> I am a bargain-a-holic and apparently there weren't enough bargains for me there!



Got home around 4:30- boys are goose hunting and Hayden just finished a jar of prunes-- yummy!- glad I work tomorrow and won't have diaper duty!!!


I plan to post some pictures from our weekend but for now, use your imagination because the camera is in the van and it's too doggone COLD and WINDY!! Fall is in the air!

Be sure to check in tomorrow for my first NOT ME MONDAY!!!!!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

My first Video Blog!

I posted this a few weeks ago and then backspaced and deleted it. I couldn't get it to load again after that....I was ticked to say the least! Thought I'd try it again and it worked. ENJOY! This is Miss Hayden laughing at her awesome brother- he gets the best giggles out of her! She adores him and vice-versa- for now at least!

Long Time No See- I mean No Blog....

Yes, I know it's been 15 days since I last blogged. I have a problem...I think that each time I blog I have to post a picture and that takes more time than I have some days. I'll try to do better. I tell ya what tho- this blogging IS addicting. I am getting "into" the lives of people I don't even know. Pretty soon, I'll not be able to make fun of Aaron for hunting with guys he met on the internet (hee-hee!!).

When I read some of these blogs I am reminded how blessed I am. If you want to get addicted too, simply click on the "buttons" on the right hand side of my blog and read-on! There are many families out there going through verydifficult times that need our prayers. The bloggers that I am following show extraordinary faith in times of adversity. I hope I could do the same, but pray I never have to.

So, what have we been up to- you ask???

Well, of course we had to take a trip to the pumpkin patch. And of course it was Haydens inaugural pumpkin patch trip so it was a family affair complete with video cameras and two..count em'...two cameras! Did I mention that one camera was dead when we got there and the other was dying? Talk about frustrating! I guess we Moms have to learn to accept the fact that things aren't going to go as planned-not just sometimes...NEVER. I have to face it that I'm not going to get the perfect photos I dream about and that the kids aren't going to be perfect with smiles on cue! I guess I'll have to try again...poor kids!


Yep- posed perfectly!!! NOT!!!


Like I said, smiles on cue! NOT!!! But, note the adorable
overalls...read on!




I just thought this one was kind of cute...



Harrison and his choice!!!

About those adorable bibs Miss Hayden is wearing...this has been another of my recent obsessions. I knew what I wanted but it was a matter of finding them and ETSY to the rescue. It was so fun. I got to pick my fabrics and suggest certain "features"- it was like playing Project Runway! Anyway, they are SO CUTE and I will certainly be getting some more pictures of her in them and hopefully she'll be wearing a smile in those pics.



Hayden had her 6 month check-up. Petite and short, with a big head- just like her brother when he was a baby! At 6 mos. Harrison weighed 15 lbs. 14 oz. and she's 15 lbs. 2.5 oz. and doing well!!! She is eating her toes, sitting pretty good, and trying to get up on all 4's. It's just about time to batten down the hatches and put away anything non-childproof. Here we go again! I LOVE IT !!!!!!!!
We suffered a loss in our family this week. Miracle, our kitty since shortly after we got married, got killed by the neighbor rat terrier! So, we've had a funeral and shed some tears over losing her...and just when she was starting to become a good "mouser". Now all the mice in the neighborhood will probably move in!
We got a good report on Harrison from his parent/teacher conference this evening. Needs work on listening skills (imagine that) and time management (takes after his Mama) and "he likes to let the teacher know when other kids are doing things they shouldn't) that's teacher talk for TATTLE TALE! I guess that is normal at his age. His football season was over Saturday. He had a great year showing great improvement over last year, but he is very competative so I believe that is going to be a continuing challenge for us all.

ON MONDAY I WILL HAVE AN EXCITING NEW FEATURE!!!!!!!!!
I will be starting to participate in "NOT ME MONDAY".
Simply stated, NOT ME MONDAY is a way to "confess" all that you "didn't do" (wink, wink) in the past week. I've already got my list started so you'll not want to miss it because some of the things I "didn't do" are doozies!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Feeling Bloggalicious!!

So- what do you think...do you notice anything new about my blog? Yes- I am learning to do a few nifty things. I love being able to be a little creative with it. Now if I could just find some cute, free template with flowers or something I would be all set. You'll notice the music...In the upper right corner are little calendars that say how old Harrison and Hayden are (personalized to my farmboy and girly-girl)...Let's see, what else- oh my list of blogs that I follow. I tell you- it is addicting. One blog leads to another. It's a great way to see how normal you really are!

We had a yucky weekend- snotty nose time is here at our house- and Aaron had the stomach bug- so we spent much of the pretty weekend inside. I actually didn't even go to Hancock County's fall social event, Riley Days- not even one time! (what is happening to me?) We did finally manage to get the TV hooked up (another thing off the never-ending to-do list)! I feel a sense of accomplishment (even though I didn't do it).

Hayden "enjoys" her first veggie - green beans- yummy! Harrison did a nice job building a Lincoln Log Cabin all by himself!
Lastly, tonight Hayden fell asleep in her highchair while having her cereal. I saw it coming as it gradually became harder for her to keep her eyes open. It took me back to the day when Harrison did the very same thing. Where does the time go? (SOBBING) By the way- the bowl is really NOT as big as her head!